There’s a story going around about Cam Skattebo that feels too absurd to be true. But if you’ve watched the rookie running back play for even a single drive this season, it makes too much sense.
As the legend goes, back when Skattebo was just six years old, he used to strap on his older brother’s shoulder pads and run — full speed — into telephone poles. That’s not a metaphor. He did this as a form of self-imposed training, trying to simulate real contact before he was even old enough to play organized football. His mother, Becky, shared the story years later, thinking it might explain why Cam runs like he’s made of rebar and rage.
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That story has since gone viral, and for good reason. New York Giants fans are just starting to discover what his family and the folks in the Big Sky and Big 12 have known for years: Skattebo is just built different.
You can’t really make sense of a guy like this unless you trace it all the way back. From the self-inflicted collisions with telephone poles in Northern California to his rise through Sacramento State, Skattebo was always a problem waiting to happen. He bulldozed FCS defenders with pure violence, earning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 before transferring to Arizona State. Once he got to the Power Five (or Four... depending on what realignment just happened), he completely took over and dominated.
Skattebo rushed for over 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns during his senior season in Tempe, adding over 600 receiving yards for good measure. He even handled punting duties at one point. The guy is part throwback, part Swiss Army knife. A pure football player in the most chaotic sense. No filters. All gas, no brakes.
So when the Giants used the 105th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to call his name, it felt inevitable. Despite a rocky pre-draft visit — he showed up late to his meeting with team brass — he made such a strong impression during the meeting that they wouldn't let him fall any further.
And when that moment came, when he was finally drafted, Skattebo sat on a couch surrounded by the family, tears streaming down his face. The kid who used to charge at telephone poles had made it to the NFL.
Now, he’s here in New York, lowering his shoulder into defenders instead of infrastructure. He’s already showing signs of being the all-purpose yard machine he was in college. He’s running like a madman, backflipping into end zones, and helping give a once-hopeless franchise a real pulse.
We don’t know how long Cam Skattebo will be here. Running backs flame out fast in this league, and guys who play with this level of violence don’t usually age all that gracefully. But we know this: in this very moment, the 23-year-old from Rio Linda, California, is everything Big Blue Nation could ask for. The sky is the limit for the human-sized fire hydrant.
Next time the power goes out around the tri-state area, don’t be surprised if it’s because a maniac in shoulder pads leveled the light poles and sent everything into chaos — it’s what Skatt does best, and we're so here for it.
He's not the hero New York deserves, but the one it needs right now. Long live Skattebo.