'Dynamic' Cam Settles has an 'arrow going up' following strong spring
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas concluded spring practices on Saturday with the Red-White scrimmage at Razorback Stadium, as the Red squad edged White 14-13 on a sunny afternoon where defense stole the show.
Offensive highlights included Red’s 65-yard touchdown connection from KJ Jackson to CJ Brown, while Memphis transfer quarterback AJ Hill and second-year running back Cam Settles put rushing touchdowns on the board for White.
Settles scored the final touchdown of the afternoon, sprinting seven yards up the middle and into the end zone. On the afternoon, he finished with a game-high seven carries for 57 yards (8.1 YPC) per unofficial stats compiled by the media.
He earned praise before and during last season by previous offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, finishing the 2025 campaign with 16 yards on 6 carries in limited action.
Following an impressive spring under the new Razorback coaching staff, current OC Tim Cramsey described Settles as a “true” running back that can be utilized in a multiple situations.
“Cam Settles really has stepped up to be a true running back,” Cramsey said during a press conference last week. “You say Braylen (Russell) is a bigger back. You say Sutton (Smith) is a scat back. They can both do some other things, but Cam Settles is true. I feel confident putting him in space. I feel confident putting him inside the tackles. I feel confident putting him in the protection game, the running back protection game.”
Settles, who played a variety of positions for a juggernaut Parkview program during his prep years, has honed in on being a complete player.
“I just feel like I’m a very balanced back. I can do it all,” Settles said. “So that’s just what I base my game off of. I want to be able to catch the ball in the backfield, be able to run through the tackles and be able to run outside the tackles as well. So I just wanted to allude that to my game, and I just had the juice today.”
Settles was one of multiple players on the Arkansas roster coach Ryan Silverfield recruited at Memphis and the Head Hog has been particularly pleased with Settles’ ability to contribute out of the backfield in the passing game.
“I’ve been really, really pleased with Cam,” Silverfield said. “He’s a young man that I had recruited hard at our last stop, and I just think he’s a dynamic back. I think he’s one of those guys, you hate to sit there [and single him out] because I think all of our running backs have the ability to catch the football, but he’s really good catching routes. He runs great wheel routes. He’s good in the screen game. And then he’s learned to run north and south.”
Speaking of the passing game, Settles opened the previous staff’s eyes for his effectiveness in protection but his overall decision making has improved as he has continued to become more familiar with the new offense.
“When I remember Cam, I used to sit there and think of, ‘Hey, he’s a lighter back’,” Silverfield continued. “No, he’s 208 pounds. I mean, he’s going to be 215 pounds before we know it. He runs hard. He’s got great vision. And so I think he’s one of those guys that we got to see those gradual steps as he understood this offense. ‘Hey, where’s this ball supposed to hit on the inside zone? Where it should have hit on the pin-and-pull scheme.’ And he continues to understand that, so I’ve been quite proud of him. He’s taken a lot of pride in pass protection, as well.
“Cam certainly has an arrow going up.”
Settles’ upward trend should come as no surprise to those who have followed him for an extended period of time. He was a key piece at both running back and defensive back during Parkview’s three-peat 5A state championship run, helping the Patriots finish with a 39-3 record from 2022-24.
His former head coach, Brad Bolding, told HawgBeat back in August that competing daily in practice with top prospects like Omarion Robinson and Monterrio Elston – who now play for Oklahoma and Kansas State, respectively – helped prepare Settles for the college level.
“A lot of high school kids are really, really good but they don’t have anybody to compete with,” said Bolding, who is now in his second stint as head coach at North Little Rock. “That is what I want in my practices, that is what I try to create in my culture. You have to compete every day or you will lose your position. When you get to college it is every single day. The depth chart is fluid, it changes and you have to come to work every day. The expectations are really high, especially in the SEC.”
Settles was one of the multiple Razorbacks that Silverfield and Co. retained, which Bolding has long known of Settles’ desire to play for the home state team.
“I could see Cam never leaving there, staying his full time and being a hell of a back for Arkansas,” Bolding said. “He will be loyal to the university and the state of Arkansas. I can guarantee that because of his character.”
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