In today’s college football, it is ultra rare to see a small school with the best player in the country.
With the top players in college football all going to the big name schools like Alabama, Georgia, USC, Penn State, Ohio State, and Clemson, the fan favorite to win the most prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy, in all of college football resides in the mountains and the blue turf of Boise, Idaho.
Ashton Jeanty is a true one-of-a-kind player, at 5 feet 9 inches and 215 pounds, the 20 year old has a skillset NFL scouts are salivating over. With his smaller stature attributing to the speed, quickness, and agility he has to burst through holes in the offensive line with a flash, a knack for getting extra yards while being tackled, and vision to identify opportunities for big players, Jeanty can make it look easy and effortless. Meanwhile, his 215 pound build makes him a nightmare for opponents to bring down, while having advanced versatility for a player at his position with being able to be a pass catching running back on occasion as well.
After a sophomore season that featured 1,300 rushing yards, 14 touchdown runs, an average of 112.3 Yards per game, and a Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of The Year, Jeanty decided to stay at Boise State instead of entering the transfer portal and going to a big school to make a better name for himself. Jeanty told CBS Sports that he wishes that young, up and coming stars can learn from his success in a less powerful conference.
“I hope that my decision sheds a light to college football players at a bunch of different schools.” Jeanty said. “That’s what I wanted was to set an example and show people that you can be different. You don’t have to do what everybody else is doing.”
During his 2024 campaign so far, he is more than making a name for himself. Through 11 games, Jeanty has achieved legendary status. On 275 rushing attempts (1st in the nation), he has gained 2,062 yards (1st in the nation, 19th all time), on 27 touchdowns. At the time of writing, he is only 3 yards away from becoming the only player since Oklahoma State legend Barry Sanders to have both 2,000 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns in a single season. While the Mountain West isn’t the most prestigious of conference, he single handedly kept the underdog Broncos in the game until the last play against the #1 seeded Oregon Ducks. In that game, Jeanty rushed for 192 yards and scored 3 touchdowns as his team was an 18.5 underdog.
In conclusion, something special is happening in Boise. Ashton Jeanty is a talent to keep an eye on, especially with the NFL draft upcoming in April of 2025. Meanwhile, however, he is single handedly carrying the Boise State Broncos to a college football playoff berth, the teams first in school history.
