Jay Ajayi, Doug Martin, Alexander Mattison and now Ashton Jeanty. The Boise State football program has been producing NFL talent running backs for years, with another potential NFL star in the making.
Though the shoes may be hard to fill for Jeanty, he may be the most talented of the bunch. He’s chasing something that none of his Boise State legend counterparts have done before: Winning the Heisman.
The Heisman candidate has been a force since the day he started at Boise State and is already cementing himself as one of the greatest Boise State football players the program has ever had.
Here is Jeanty’s story:
Pre-Bronco: Early High School Days
Jeanty began his high school football career far from Boise — almost 6,000 miles away, in a town just north of Naples, Italy. Jeanty played his freshman year of high school football in Aversa, Italy, at a U.S. Naval base. While in Italy, because of the team’s small roster size, Jeanty played multiple positions, both on offense and defense, learning how to dominate the field at a young age.
After just one season in Italy, Jeanty moved to Dallas, Texas, where he joined a talented Lone Star High School football team. Jeanty joined future NFL talent at the high school, becoming teammates with now Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. and now New Orleans Saints linebacker Jaylan Ford.
Like his year playing in Italy, Jeanty played everywhere on the field, not getting a set position until his final season.
In Jeanty’s senior season, finally playing as the starting running back and kick returner, he totalled 2826 all purpose yards and 41 total touchdowns. This video game-esque statline made him one of the most talented four star recruits in the entire country.
With offers from prestigious college football schools like University of California, Berkeley, University of Tulane, University of Kansas and other Division I schools, Jeanty signed his letter of intent to play for the Boise State Broncos on Dec. 15, 2021.
The rest is history.
Freshman Season: First Rodeo
Jeanty started his first collegiate football season under the radar, splitting playing time with now NFL running back George Holani.
Holani was entering his third season playing for the Broncos and had already established himself as the starting running back in a run-heavy Boise State offense.
This was until Jeanty stepped foot on the field.
On Sept. 30, 2022, Jeanty scored his first collegiate touchdown in a home win over the San Diego State University Aztecs. Jeanty finished the game with 12 carries and 82 yards, finally showcasing his abilities.
This game started a four game stretch in which the young freshman began to look like a star player on the field for the Broncos. Between the game against the Aztecs all the way to Oct. 29, 2022, in a home game against the Colorado State University Rams, Jeanty posted 323 total yards and five touchdowns, as the Broncos went on to win all four of these games.
During this time, all eyes were on Holani, as the junior running back posted 436 total yards in one less game during this span, but little did everyone know that the Broncos other running back would soon be the talk of the town.
Though Jeanty did not have the spotlight on him because of the other star in the backfield, this made Jeanty the player that he is today, two years later.
“I was able to learn a lot from George Holani while he was here,” said Jeanty in a recent interview with NFL draft journalist Justin Melo. “Holani taught me how to appropriately lead the running back room. Not only that, he taught me how to lead the entire team.”
Jeanty’s final game of his freshman season was a testament as to what his future at Boise State would look like as the Broncos played the University of North Texas in the 2022 Frisco Bowl. Jeanty had the best game of his season, posting 188 total yards and a touchdown, in the Broncos win, marking the end of the season for Jeanty and the Broncos.
Despite Holani having the best season of his Boise State career, Jeanty had a very strong freshman season, posting 976 total yards and seven total touchdowns. This was a very strong outing from the freshman running back, who happened to be sharing the backfield with a future NFL running back.
Sophomore Season: The Breakout Season
The 2023 season for Jeanty is when things really started to pick up.
Despite the disappointing 0-2 start to the season for the Broncos, Jeanty was one of the few bright spots to a struggling team. In these two games, Jeanty was a force both on the ground and in the air, rushing for 159 yards and one touchdown while receiving nine catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
Jeanty continued this dominance throughout the next few games, putting up video game numbers in his sophomore season. However, similar to his freshman season, his talents were not being displayed to the media, with the Boise State Broncos playing below their normal standard.
The 4-5 Broncos were one loss away from having the most losses in program history since the 1997 season, when the Broncos played in the Big West Conference.
A day after a blowout win against the University of New Mexico mid November of 2023, Boise State Athletic Director Jermiah Dickey announced the firing of Head Coach Andy Avalos.
“I am grateful for the passion, effort and dedication Andy has given to our community and his alma mater while serving as our head coach,” Dickey said in a statement. “Andy will always be a Bronco and we wish him and his family all the best in their next steps.”
Because the Broncos were still in contention for the Mountain West Championship, Jeanty stepped up in a big way, sending the Broncos on a two game winning streak and ultimately to the Mountain West Championship (MWC).
Jeanty totalled 329 yards and three touchdowns in these final two regular season games, putting all of the drama aside, leading the team to the MWC.
Jeanty didn’t stop there.
In the Mountain West Championship game, Jeanty ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, capping off a near perfect season from an individual standpoint.
Jeanty finished the season with 1,916 yards (third in the country) and 19 touchdowns despite playing in only 12 games. Jeanty was later given first team All-American honors, marking the beginning of greatness for the young running back.
Amidst all of the off field drama and the embarrassing losses, Jeanty put the team on his back, leading the team to a MWC and an appearance in the LA Bowl against the UCLA Bruins.
2024-2025 Season: Best of the Best
In his third, and most likely final season in blue and orange, Jeanty started off with the best game of his career in an away win against Georgia Southern University. His statline for the day was 20 carries, 267 yards and six touchdowns, marking an incredible showcase for the star running back.
“I mean Ashton had 20 carries. It’s not like we gave him the ball 55 times,” Boise State Head Coach Spencer Danielson said after the game. “He had 20 carries and had 267 yards rushing … He’s a generational talent in regard to who he is as a young man.”
This game caused a lot of buzz throughout social media, officially putting the star running back in contention for the Heisman trophy after just one game.
As proven throughout his career, Jeanty did not stop single handedly taking over games.
In the very next game, Jeanty and the Broncos matched up against one of the best teams in the country, the University of Oregon. Jeanty ran over the Oregon Ducks’ defense, running for 192 yards and three touchdowns just a week after his record breaking performance. Though the Broncos ultimately lost by a field goal in the final seconds of the game, Jeanty and the Broncos were put on the map as one of the toughest opponents in the country.
Two weeks later, after the Broncos bye week, the Broncos beat Portland State University 56-14 in a massacre. Because of the immense score that the Broncos had, Jeanty only played for the first half of the game, but still put up 127 yards on just 11 carries. These 127 yards are the lowest total that Jeanty has had so far in this season, which just shows how good the star really is.
In his most recent showing, Jeanty again displayed why he is one of the best players that has ever played on the blue. Against an undefeated 4-0 Washington State University, Jeanty ran for 259 yards and four touchdowns in yet another blowout win for the Broncos.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Jeanty postgame of the Washington State game.
“You dream of games like this and I couldn’t be more proud of this team, not just myself but the way we came out and competed in all phases. Offense, defense, special teams. I mean, that’s one of the best games I’ve been around since I’ve been here.”
– Ashton Jeanty
Just four games into the season, Jeanty is leading the country in rushing yards with 845 (160 more than the second place leader) and rushing touchdowns with 13.
Jeanty is on pace to rush for over 2700 rushing yards and 42 rushing touchdowns, which would both break the all-time record set by hall of fame running back Barry Sanders in the year 1988.
The season continues on Oct. 5 against the Utah State Aggies.
His Future: Heisman and First Round Pick?
Jeanty’s incredible career is far from over, with many reports about the potential accolades that the running back may achieve.
The first of these is the Heisman trophy, the most prestigious award given to the best college football player in the entire country. As of now, Jeanty is first in Heisman betting odds, according to FanDuel.
The next of these is the NFL Draft. Taking place in April of 2025, Jeanty is likely to declare for the draft and prepare to play in the NFL for the 2025-2026 season. With the talent the Jeanty has bestowed to the country in his years at Boise State, will he find himself as a first round draft pick, maybe even a top 10 draft pick?
Since Jeanty’s early high school days in Italy, he has not only been the hardest runner on whatever field that he has stepped on, but also the hardest worker and best leader that any teammate can ask for.
The Boise State Broncos struck gold with Jeanty, as his incredible career is not even close to being finished.
