On Dec. 21, 2024, junior running back Kanye Udoh committed to Arizona State. The highly sought-after transfer made his way to Tempe from West Point after marching the Army offense to college football’s top rushing attack. He also played a crucial role in leading the Black Knights to a program-best 12-2 record, ultimately capped off with an American Athletic Conference (AAC) title.
But it took time for Udoh to develop into the offensive catalyst he is today.
Before he arrived in West Point, Udoh attended high school 160 miles south at St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, New Jersey. As a Hermit, he rushed for 1,498 yards and 16 touchdowns during his senior year. St. Augustine head coach Peter Lancetta said the 3,000-yard high school rusher was a perfect fit for the Hermits’ run-oriented offense.
His large workload mirrored the demanding role that former ASU running back Cam Skattebo held for the Sun Devils last season.
“I could see Kanye fill in those shoes,” Lancetta said of the 6-foot, 215-pounder’s ability to fill Skattebo’s shoes. “He’s a physical runner. He’s a slashing runner. He’s got pretty darn good speed, too.”
Kanye Udoh's 72-yd run sets up Bryson Daily for his second TD of the night 😤 pic.twitter.com/8HHN5XMzFl
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 7, 2024
On top of his on-the-field talents, Lancetta, a recent inductee to the South Jersey Football Coaches Hall of Fame, said Udoh showcased an innate desire to improve and is fueled by a tremendous work ethic.
However, he still faced adversity in his three-year career at St. Augustine: The coronavirus pandemic cut the 2020-21 season short. The Hermits finished with a 4-3 record, behind a below-average offensive line, according to Lancetta, which hurt Udoh’s rushing statistics and offers to play college football.
Flabbergasted by the lack of interest in Udoh after a down year, Lancetta credits his former player for overcoming the misfortunes that ensued in his recruiting process.
“He bet on himself. Like he had numerous offers from FCS schools. He may have had a lower-level FBS offer or two, but he said, ‘Coach I really believe I can play at a bigger school.’ And so he got the West Point offer and he said, ‘Listen that’s where I’m going to go.'”
Udoh’s second year at Army proved to be a breakout campaign, as he rushed for 1,117 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry and found the end zone 10 times.
“He’s one of the biggest reasons why I’m here,” Udoh said of Lancetta. “He took me in as a young kid, developed me, believed in me and gave me an opportunity to shine.”
The former Black Knight recorded two 158-yard games in his sophomore season: one against Air Force and the other against Tulane in the AAC championship.
“Get to the end zone, whatever way it takes, whatever way you going to get there,” Udoh said about his rushing mentality. “You have to hop, skip, jump, do a flip, whatever you have to do to get into the end zone.”
Now basking in the Tempe sun, Udoh embarks on new beginnings, donning the Maroon and Gold for ASU.
“It’s still weird seeing palm trees, not going to lie. But it’s fun,” Udoh said about adjusting to Arizona. “I will say this, the people here can’t drive. They’re not the best drivers. But other than that, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Arizona State won’t need to rely on Udoh’s driving ability, but it does need to determine who will take the driver’s seat in its backfield. Skattebo rewrote several single-season school records en route to the Sun Devils’ winning the Big 12 Conference championship. With the departure of the nation’s second-leading rusher to the 2025 NFL Draft, the Mays Landing, New Jersey, native has an opportunity to be the Maroon and Gold’s lead tailback next season.
“He’s (Udoh) one of the guys competing for the job. There’s not one guy here, that showed up here, and I said, ‘you’re the starting running back,'” Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “So there’s not one person that’s on this field that’s new that was promised to start [or] told they were going to start. They were just told there’s an opportunity. It’s on you to win it.”
Udoh will compete against junior running back Kyson Brown and redshirt junior running back Raleek Brown for the starting job. While nothing is set in stone, ASU running back coach Shaun Aguano spoke highly of the West Point transfer.
“I liked his downhill one-cut ability. I haven’t seen him in full force working with me from the flexibility side and diversifying, catching the football out of the backfield. So I got to see that still. I am excited about his bigness, his toughness, especially from a mental standpoint. He’s tough as nails … Everything he does is professional.”
Udoh is the first New Jersey native on Arizona State’s roster since 2022. He looks to become the Sun Devils’ first leading rusher from the Garden State since Gene Foster, who played for head coach Frank Kush in the early 1960s. Foster, born in Pennsville Township, New Jersey, rushed for over 700 yards and racked up over 300 receiving yards in his time as a Sun Devil.
New Jersey may not be known as a powerhouse for producing collegiate and professional football players. However, Udoh referenced Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (Salem, New Jersey) and Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (Vineland, New Jersey) as sources of inspiration, saying that backs from New Jersey, “run with a chip on their shoulder.”
Although the Sun Devils’ 2025-26 season doesn’t kick off for another four months, Lancetta believes this is just the beginning for Udoh.
“I think he’s going to have a real good shot [at the NFL] once he finishes up at Arizona State. I think everybody there will be very happy with the type of player that he is, the work ethic that he has, the discipline that he has and the type of great young man that he is because he really truly is.”
While Udoh battles for the keys to ASU’s backfield, Lancetta will be watching from afar, as he prepares for his ninth season as head coach of the Hermits.
“We’re excited for Kanye, and it’s great to have somebody like that as a representative of our school and our program,” Lancetta said.
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