In week one of the 2022 Sac State football season, sophomore running back Cameron Skattebo rushed for 153 yards, caught one touchdown, ran for a second and took an onside kick back for a third. 

The Big Sky conference named Skattebo special teams player of the week. So, how did his family react to his success?

“My dad has a rule; 85 yards or more is an okay game. He expects that out of me every game,” Skattebo said. “When I don’t have a game like that, I hear from my family, ‘is there something wrong? Did something happen?’”

Since he was a child, Skattebo recalls his family– usually his father– pushing him to be the best he can be.

“[My dad] really pushed me to be who I am today,” Skattebo said. “[He] got me into training and the stuff I needed to become a [football] player.”

Skattebo attended Rio Linda High School and played football all four years. He totaled a monster junior season with 3,550 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns.

In the third game of his senior year at Rio Linda, Skattebo suffered a grade four AC separation in his shoulder. Despite this, Skattebo didn’t miss a single game. 

“In three games I played quarterback instead of running back. It took my stock down, but I put in my all being injured,” Skattebo said. “I had to be there for my team.”

His dominance at the high school level earned the attention of scouts across the state.

Skattebo attended a camp held by Sac State in 2019 and impressed head coach Troy Taylor.

“It was like a no-brainer– we gotta get this guy,” Taylor said.

Although he was being talked to by coaches from Cal Poly and UC Davis and attended a camp at San Diego State, Sac State ended up being Skattebo’s only offer to play college football.

“It was just a slam dunk,” Taylor said. “I couldn’t believe everybody wasn’t offering [Skattebo] a scholarship.”

Sac State teammate and former roommate Jared Gipson said Skattebo is always energetic.

The pair has a history together dating back to high school.

“We would go to camps trying to get scholarships and get noticed,” Gipson said. “ We connected that way.”

After his most recent performance against Utah Tech where Skattebo totaled his career high in rushing yards, all eyes were on the running back.

One through the air. One on the ground. One on special teams. What else can Cameron Skattebo do? #StingersUp @BigSkyConf @BigSkyFB pic.twitter.com/Q1Cw5iYCax

— Sac State Football (@SacHornetsFB) September 4, 2022

Sac State quarterback Asher O’Hara said he loves watching his teammate on the field.

“I’ve never seen anything like him,” O’Hara said. “He’s like a bowling ball.”

Gipson said that if you look up the definition of a football player, it would be Cameron Skattebo, adding that he wants to play like Skattebo does. 

“He’s just relentless, he wants to score on every play,” Gipson said. “Whenever I get the ball, I’m thinking ‘what would [Skattebo] do right now?’”

Skattebo said he gets nervous before he hits anyone in a game, a mindset he says comes from his drive to be the best.

“I feel like I’m the best on the field,” Skattebo said. “You can’t be the best on the field and play soft, that’s not how football works.”

Skattebo said he likes to keep football and his off-the-field life as separate as possible.

In his leisure time, Skattebo says he likes to play video games. He said he’s a big fan of shooting games and plays Apex Legends, Call of Duty and even a little bit of NBA 2K. 

He also said he likes to hang out with his girlfriend, although he said he generally keeps to himself a lot of the time.

“I try to keep football out of my personal life when relaxing [because] then it starts making me think about the next game instead of waiting until tomorrow,” Skattebo said.