Cardae Mack is a Semifinalist for National Freshman of the Year

All Day Cardae

• True freshman Cardae Mack is just the 17th Power Conference true freshman running back since 2016 to have multiple 150+-yard rushing games in the regular season. That list includes current NFL running backs Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Braelon Allen, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill and AJ Dillon.
• He now has three games in which he has eclipsed the century mark on the ground. He is the first true freshman running back at ASU to accomplish the feat since Deantre Lewis in 2010. Over his past four games, Mack has 69 carries for 463 yards (115.8 yards per game).
• Mack’s 87.9 rushing grade this season is seventh in the nation (min. 75 attempts). His 85.8 overall offensive grade is ninth among FBS halfbacks.
• Mack is forcing .37 missed tackles per rush attempt this season, fifth-most in the country (min. 75 attempts). He is averaging 4.1 yards after contact per attempt, good for 23rd among FBS running backs.
• Mack is recording a first down or touchdown 38.5 percent of the time he rushes the ball, good for second nationally (Liberty’s Kam Davis, 43.7)
• Mack’s 18 explosive runs (runs over 10 yards) already have him 25th in the nation - notable as he has done so on just 78 attempts - the lowest total of any running back in the Top-25.

Mack attack

• In two games on the road against Top-10 teams (No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 8 BYU), Cardae Mack has combined for 150 rushing yards and 64 receiving yards (214 total yards from scrimmage).
• With his 159-yard, four-touchdown effort against Kansas State, true freshman Cardae Mack became the first ASU running back to score four rushing touchdowns in a game since Kalen Ballage’s NCAA record-tying seven against Texas Tech on Sept. 10, 2016.
• Mack’s 159 rushing yards in the K-State game were the most by a Sun Devil true freshman back since Keegan Herring had 197 yards against Northwestern on Sept. 17, 2005.
• Mack became the first Sun Devil freshman to record four rushing touchdowns since Leon Burton had five on Oct. 1, 1955 against San Diego Navy. It was the first time an ASU true freshman accounted for four total touchdowns since Demario Richard had four (two rushing, two receiving) in the 2014 Sun Bowl.
• He became the first Power Four running back to accomplish the feat since Florida’s Jadan Baugh on Oct. 19, 2024.
• He is just the seventh FBS Power Conference running back in the last decade (since the start of 2016) to reach the four-rushing touchdown milestone, joining Baugh (Florida, 2024), Evan Hull (Northwestern, 2019), Jermar Jefferson (Oregon State, 2x, 2018), AJ Dillon (Boston College, 2017), Damarea Crockett (Missouri, 2016) and Benny Snell, Jr. (Kentucky, 2016). Only four of those other games were against another Power Conference team.
• Mack has 313 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in his last two home games.

Cardae diem

Record watch

• Cardae Mack currently sits at 523 rushing yards during his true freshman season.
• The Arizona State freshman rushing record is owned by Keegan Herring, who ran for 870 yards in 2005.
• Mack is only 348 yards shy of breaking Herring's single-season freshman rushing record.
• Cardae Mack has also accounted for six rushing touchdowns and is approaching another program record.
• He is only three rushing touchdowns shy of passing Darryl Clack (8 in 1982) and Leon Burton (8 in 1955) for the most rushing touchdowns by a freshman in single-season program history. 

Award timeline
Finalists for the 9th annual Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award will be announced on December 2, 2026, and the winner of the award will be announced on December 28, 2026. The formal presentation of this award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday, March 13, 2027, at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.

Previous winners
The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award has been presented to the College Freshman Player of the Year since 2018 and is named in honor of Shaun Alexander, a former standout at the University of Alabama and with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. The award Past winners include; Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) - 2018, Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis)-2019, Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) – 2020, Brock Bowers (Georgia) – 2021, Drake Maye (North Carolina) – 2022, Caleb Downs (Alabama/Ohio State) 2023, Collin Simmons (Texas)-2024 and Julian Sayin (Ohio State) -2025.