Resounding Sun Bowl Performance revived Jason Brown Jr’s claimsake in ASU’s backfield
Opportunities for younger players can be few and far between in college football, particularly at the Power Five conference level. Underclassmen typically find their footing on the turf during special teams units; skill position players on the offensive end can be more often tasked with making tackles and hard-hitting blocks, until they can see themselves in a playmaker role.
So when redshirt freshman running back Jason Brown Jr was given the chance to collect 13 carries during Arizona State’s matchup with Duke in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve, he stole the show for the Sun Devils rushing attack. Brown finished with 134 yards rushing, with another 14 yards receiving.
The matinee in El Paso was a breakout game for the second-year player. Before he took the field to face the Blue Devils, Brown had just seven carries across two games in his career. While a majority of Brown’s gametime in 2025 was spent on special teams, in which he logged two solo tackles in 11 games played, he wasn’t surprised by his standout play when he was asked to lead his team’s ground attack.
“I feel like, of course, a good or solid performance boosts your confidence a little bit, but like I said, confidence is really built within,” Brown said. “The work and the community around you, and I feel like this community has bled into me every day, so every day I step onto the field, I’m more confident.
“I’m just super thankful for the opportunity. I’ve been patient, I’ve been working really hard, and I’m just glad I got to be able to go out there and show, with the limited opportunity this season, what I can do.”
At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Brown’s game features a formidable mix of explosiveness and power, using speedy north-south running with wide shoulders and a low center of gravity, making him a nightmare to tackle in open space.
Unfortunately for Brown, during his first two seasons in Tempe, ASU’s backfield has been loaded with talent. In 2024, in a Big 12 Championship year, then senior and New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo dominated and consumed the lion’s share of carries for Arizona State. Skattebo finished that season as a First-Team All-American while breaking multiple ASU records for rushing yards in a season where he collected 1,711 yards rushing and scrimmage yards in a season with 2,316.
“I feel like the group speaks for itself,” Brown noted on the strength of ASU’s backfield. “The amount of talent that we have here, and the number of guys we have that can really play and have NFL potential. It speaks for itself. Even coming out of high school, I just wanted to surround myself with pros and guys who are good enough to be pro, so I could better myself. At the end of the day, just learning under those guys has been a blessing.”
In 2025, the Sun Devils were expected to operate with a three-headed attack as three juniors, Raleek Brown, Kyson Brown, and Kanye Udoh, all provided unique qualities to the backfield. In part due to injuries, Raleek Brown took charge in the backfield. He led the Big 12 in all-purpose yards per game at 120.5, and he was second in the league in rushing yards with 1,141. Raleek Brown’s style of swift and elusive attacks out of the backfield, in some respects, contrasts with the style that Jason Brown Jr presents.
This shift in running back traits forced head coach Kenny Dillignham and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo to switch their running game style from Skattebo to Raleek Brown. Freshman running back Demarius Robinson provided a like-for-like rotational back for the Sun Devils, and he became a prominent figure in the backfield, even surpassing Udoh’s snapshare toward the end of the season.
Even though Jason Brown seldom saw the field, he always knew that he would prove the coaches’ confidence in him when given the chance.
“The coaching staff believes in me regardless of what the season was looking like at that time,” Brown remarked. “Just keeping my head in it, staying motivated, wanting to win games for this football team, wanting to be a part of this community and this family, and give them everything I have. When it comes to stepping up and embracing a role, I wanna embrace that role as much as I can and perform to the best of my ability.”
Looking toward year three, Jason Brown’s role in Tempe has room for advancement, and the opportunity looks apparent; both Udoh and Raleek Brown have transferred to new programs, and a younger Sun Devil offenisve backfield will feature a good deal of underclassmen and newcomers scraping for placeholders amongst the depth chart.
“Feeling really comfortable in the system here,” Brown admitted. “I’ve been through the flow here, I’ve been through the spring ball and the fall camps, so really just knowing how everything goes has given me a lot more confidence. I’m just really excited to go out there and compete for a starting role, that’s my goal, I wanna come out here, and I wanna start.”
To accomplish this, Brown aims to improve his already impressive physical stature. He’ll likely add at least five pounds before the start of ASU’s spring practice schedule in March, propelling his weight toward 200 pounds to withstand the toll that numerous carries per game have on a runningback.
“I’m looking to put some more weight back on, get around a bigger range so I can be a more featured back and take those 20-30 carries if need be. Keep getting faster, keep getting stronger. And from a mental part, trying to become more of a leader, trying to become someone this team looks to make plays and someone this team looks for to be the guy.”
What the Sun Bowl taught fans and possible peers about Brown is that he can provide critical value to the future of ASU’s running back room. That game exacerbated his claim to become a weekly starter in 2026 and showcased a player who didn’t have wandering eyes despite limited playing time over the entire 2025 campaign. Next month, he’ll be a notable player to watch during spring practices.
“This is where I wanna be, and at the end of the day, I feel like I’m good enough to play here,” Brown claimed. “I feel like this team has beld into me and believed in me and honestly, we gotta make it happen, and I feel like we can be successful. I wanna be successful, this team already is successful.”
