Kalen Ballage


Kalen Ballage is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He played college football at Arizona State.

Early years

While attending Falcon High School in Peyton, Colorado, Ballage recorded a successful high school football career. In three years on varsity, he rushed for 2,690 yards, while averaging 8.5 yards per carry and scored 35 rushing touchdowns, in addition to 671 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Ballage was recruited by major programs, including Michigan, Washington, and Nebraska. He committed to Arizona State on January 17, 2013.

College career

As a freshman in 2014, Ballage had a combined 202 rushing and receiving yards, to go along with four total touchdowns. During his sophomore year, he had the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career against the Oregon Ducks. As a junior, Ballage tied College Football's FBS single game touchdown record by scoring eight touchdowns against Texas Tech on September 10, 2016. During his junior year, Ballage played the quarterback position while the team was in their version of the wildcat offense, known to ASU fans as the Sparky Package. Ballage is known for his combination of speed and power.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Ballage was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round with the 131st overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, using the fourth round pick previously acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade that sent Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia. In Week 4, against the New England Patriots, he made his NFL debut and recorded a three-yard rush in the 38–7 loss. In Week 15, against the Minnesota Vikings, he saw an expanded role with 12 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown. Overall, he finished his rookie season with 191 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Ballage entered the 2019 season as the No. 2 running back behind Kenyan Drake. He was placed on injured reserve on December 3, 2019 with a leg injury. He finished the season with 135 rushing yards and three touchdowns along with 14 catches for 63 yards through 12 games and six starts.