Devy Profile: Kalen Ballage, RB Arizona State

Name: Kalen Ballage

Position: Running Back

School: Arizona State

Year: Senior

Birthday: Unknown

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 227

Every Saturday in the fall, there are a couple of hundred running backs who put on a show for the rest of us. Their hope is that it’s enough to earn them a shot at playing on Sundays in maybe a year or two. Most of those running backs truly don’t ever really have any shot at that dream, but the few that do generally stand out right away. Kalen Ballage is no exception. At 6’2”, 227 pounds, even in the limited sample size that we have seen, Kalen has made his presence known in the college football landscape.

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

As a Recruit

Ballage was a four-star recruit out of high school according to 247 Sports Composite rating. What does that mean? Well, simply put, every single year 247 combines the ratings of various top recruiting sites (including their own) into one composite rating for the vast majority of the nation’s top recruits. And when you hear “four-star” that may sound great, but Kalen didn’t even grace the top 300 in the class of 2014. He was at least a higher rated recruit than his competition for carries, Demario Richard (three-star recruit). But early on it was clear Kalen would at least have some competition to overcome if he wanted to showcase his talents for NFL decision-makers. However, that hasn’t stopped many from being smitten with Kalen Ballage and his massive potential already.

Production

Here’s the primary knock against Kalen Ballage as a potential NFL stud running back that you’ll hear from his critics:

“If he was so good, wouldn’t he get more work?”

Or maybe you’ve heard it said another way…

“If Kalen can hardly win a back field battle in college, how can we expect him to do it in the NFL?”

That’s what Kalen started to answer last year, but it would be nicer to see more where that came from.

Statistics from Sports-Reference.com.

“The questions about Kalen’s production seem valid. What’s the story there if we’re supposed to believe he can be a dominant professional running back?”

I’m glad you asked.

As a true freshman, Kalen Ballage was stuck in an offense that saw three running backs backing up future NFL player, DJ Foster. Sadly Demario Richard seemed to catch on to the team’s offense faster than Kalen, finding success early on. Kalen was left splitting third running back duties with senior teammate, Deantre Lewis (both had no more than 50 touches, respectively). Yet there was still hope for the future.

It only took one full spring with Ballage and Richard to realize that both deserved more work as ball carriers ahead of the much leaner DJ Foster. Sadly, for some reason the coaching staff clearly felt yet again that Richard had a better feel for things. Kalen was forced to be the backup yet again as a sophomore. But even in limited action, Kalen’s unbelievable size and speed combo became apparent throughout his sophomore year. The momentum started to build.

Then something amazing happened. I like to picture Todd Graham (the Arizona State football coach) having some grand epiphany early in the 2016 season. Imagine any corny romantic comedy where the underappreciated girl takes off her glasses, lets her hair down and it all becomes so clear. It was as if Todd glanced over on the sidelines, and for the first time realized what he had all along. Kalen Ballage took his glasses off, let his hair down and Todd just knew. He had a 6’2”, 227-pound running back on his team that could catch passes like a receiver. While the Sun Devils tried to keep Demario involved through the first four weeks, the results were very telling.

From that point on Kalen out-touched Demario 114 to 82. If the ending of 2016 is any indication, Kalen Ballage may finally have the opportunity to show the world what he can do as a true lead running back.

But before that happens let’s look at how he may succeed or fail in his upcoming opportunity.

On the Field – Strengths

One of the most fun things about Kalen is his absurd speed once he gets going. Not many 230-pound running backs run around a 4.5-second forty-yard dash. Kalen reportedly ran a 4.37 in high school, but could very well still beat 4.5 seconds with his added weight. And it’s not just his speed that helps him destroy defenses. It’s that combined with his 230-pound frame that makes him incredibly hard to bring down. If he reaches the second level of the defense at full steam he absolutely destroys linebackers and defensive backs. Kalen either runs through them or past them the majority of the time.

Beyond just Kalen’s speed and size, as mentioned earlier, he can also catch passes. He caught 44 in just twelve games in 2016. Not only can Kalen catch passes, but he also displayed some competent level of pass protection in a limited sample size. The Arizona State offense wasn’t exactly stereotypical last season with a mobile quarterback, wildcat formations, and things spread wide open quite often. Yes, Kalen did make a couple of mistakes, but his contributions in all passing game attributes were possibly his most important for finding future NFL success.

Lastly, his vision on outside runs allowed him to hit some home runs and turn minimal gains into seven to ten yard gains. His vision and decision-making on the inside can still improve, but he knows how to hit the hole at the right time behind lead blockers.

On the Field – Weaknesses

Talking about a player’s weaknesses is never fun, but the goods news is Kalen’s list is rather short. And really, in many cases they’re more of areas of possible improvement instead of full-blown weaknesses.

One possible weakness that Kalen may possess actually doesn’t have much to do with him personally. He has very limited experience running out of conventional formations that he will find in the NFL. How so? Many of Kalen’s biggest plays and moments came out of the wildcat formation taking direct snaps from the center. It would behoove Kalen to get some more reps in a more conventional role this season.

Second, if you watch Kalen, he doesn’t possess ankle-breaking agility. He has a fantastic one-cut mentality that allows him to side-step or first-step juke a defender. However, his ability to change direction once he gets going isn’t that great. Obviously 230 pounds is hard to move laterally once it starts moving, but it would be nice to see an improvement in that regard.

Lastly, one thing that’s easy to notice with Ballage is the number of plays that go for minimal or no gain. Kalen can win short yardage situations, but he always wants more. Ballage wants to see some green to build that nasty speed. If he doesn’t see it, Kalen will often hesitate or bounce outside instead of reading the smaller seams like a good pro running back can do.

None of this means Kalen can’t be a good pro. He just definitely has some room to improve and grow in his senior season.

Conclusion

Kalen Ballage should find success as an NFL running back one day. He has the build, the speed, and the balanced skill set that you want to see in a running back. His price in most devy dynasty leagues may already have his upside baked in, but Kalen should be worth the price. Enjoy watching his dominant senior year for Arizona State and some highlights for the road.

[/am4show]