Ashten Emory's Former Coaches Say Cal is in Good Hands

The sophomore running back could be thrust into a bigger role this week as Bears battle injuries at the position

Ashten Emory finds running room against Wagner College | Photo by Mike Wondolowski, Cal Athletics

What will matter most to Cal fans about third-string running back Ashton Emory is that coach Tosh Lupoi seems to have full confidence in the redshirt sophomore transfer from UTEP.

“He’s somebody we can win with,” Lupoi said this week.

The Golden Bears (2-2) may need to rely on Emory on Saturday when they visit UNLV (2-2) in their final non-conference game of the season.

Starting running back Adam Mohammed is questionable after suffering what appeared to be a left knee injury last Friday against Clemson. Backup Carter Vargas hasn’t played since the opener vs. UCLA, when he sustained a knee injury.

Because Cal’s game this week is outside the ACC, it’s not required to provide the injury status of players on the weekly availability chart. Lupoi declined to give reporters an update on those two and others dealing with injuries.

Unless Mohammed heals quickly, Emory will likely be elevated to a starter’s role against the Rebels. Through Cal’s first four games, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Dallas native has carried the ball 16 times for 55 yards, including a 16-yard dash against Clemson.

Ashten Emory | Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

“He’s a hard-nosed runner, man. Just appreciate his effort. He’s a strong instinctual player,” Lupoi said. “His premium on the ball and ball security and just following the rules and what he’s been asked to do.”

Lupoi stopped short of declaring Emory the starter for Saturday, but said with “the day-by-day status of our other players, it could potentially ramp up in terms of what we ask of him. I’ve got full faith.”

So do two coaches from his previous stops at UTEP and Rockwall High School in the Dallas area.

“He’s a really good football player,” said Jourdan McNeill, who was running backs coach at UTEP the past two seasons. “He’s a gamer. When the lights come on, they’re not going to be too bright.”

“Oh man, he’s one of my all-time favorite kids, favorite players and favorite human beings, too,” veteran Rockwall coach Trey Brooks said in a phone interview.

The Bears were no doubt attracted to Emory in the transfer portal based at least partly on one big game he assembled at UTEP last season.

He was the Miners’ leading rusher on the season with 569 yards and four touchdowns, earning him Conference USA All-Freshman honors.

Ashten Emory runs the ball for UTEP last season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The highlight came on Nov. 22 against New Mexico State when Emory carried the ball 18 times for 181 yards — a 10.1 per-carry average. It was the most rushing yards by a UTEP back in nine seasons.

“The thing I remember most is there were a couple plays in a five-man box and a six-man box that weren’t blocked up perfect,” said O‘Neill, who is now coaching at Texas A&M-Texarkana, which is preparing to field a Division II program for the first time next season.

“The one thing about Ashten is he was going to make you right more times than not. It's just how hard he ran when the play isn’t blocked perfectly. That’s the makeup of a true really good back at the FBS level. He was able to do that constantly in that game. Ten yards a carry — we probably should have handed him the ball a little bit more.”

For much of last season, including the New Mexico State game, Emory played while wearing a cast after injuring his left wrist. In spite of that, he never fumbled the ball, McNeill said.

McNeill describes him as tough and gritty, but also quick and able to get in and out of his cuts. Above all else, he said he’s always prepared.

“He’s one of the few players I feel like I could leave the (running backs) room and tell him what to teach and he could teach the entire room,” McNeill said. “He made very minimal mental mistakes."

Two years earlier, as a senior at Rockwall High, Emory was named Texas District 10-6A MVP after compiling 2,035 yards (9.1 per carry) and 25 touchdowns, including five games of at least 200 yards.

Brooks called him a “dynamic” runner, with quickness and speed to get into the open field, but also a physical player who was difficult to take down. “He plays a lot bigger than he is.”

“His senior year was one of the great seasons we’ve had from a running back at Rockwell High School,” Brooks said. “I’ve been here 13 years and I’ve seen some really good ones.”

Brooks said Emory was a team captain and one of the best teammates he’s coached. “Just an infectious personality. Always in a good mood. I’ve never been around a kid quite like him,” Brooks said. “Everybody loves him.”

Brooks also coached Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who currently leads all NFL players with 27 catches for 405 yards and six TDs through three games. 

At Rockwall, Smith-Njigba delivered a performance that is legendary in Dallas prep football circles, catching five touchdown passes in the first half of Rockwall’s 2019 victory over undefeated Allen in the Texas Class 6A Division I playoffs at AT&T Stadium.

Brooks referenced that spectacular outing while recalling Emory’s  postseason highlight as a prep star in 2023.

“It was that kind of game, where he just carried the team,” Brooks said.

Emory ran the ball 32 times for 270 yards and four touchdowns as Rockwall topped Waxahachie 46-43 in a Class 6A playoff shootout.

“It was one of the most epic performances I’ve seen from a single person,” Brooks said.

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