Imagine a Mack truck compressed into a 5’9, 215-pound frame. There are many metaphors to describe Ashton Jeanty but only his highlights can truly justify his greatness. He has been described as “untackleable” by announcers and one compared him to an icebreaker ship because of the way he smashes into oncoming linebackers. When a reporter asked Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson whether or not Jeanty was the best player in the country he quipped back “next question”, insinuating that Jeanty was the obvious answer.
In Boise State’s 62-30 win against conference rival Utah State, Ashton Jeanty ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries. This is a great stat line, but it becomes remarkable when factored in that he didn’t even touch the field in the second half. Danielson must’ve not wanted to risk his star running back’s health early on in the season when so much more is at stake for Jeanty and BSU in the future.
Doubters may point out that Jeanty does not play against the best competition and therefore shouldn’t be considered a favorite for the coveted Heisman Trophy. These people don’t need to look further than Boisie’s September 7th matchup against Oregon or their September 28th battle with Washington State. In the former, Jeanty ran for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns at the home field of the current number three team in the country. Boise State went on to lose the affair 34-37 on a game-winning field goal by the Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington. Against the formidable Washington State, Jeanty rushed for 4 touchdowns and helped hand the Cougars their only loss of the season.
The current Division One single-season rushing yards record is held by “Big Bad” Barry Sanders who rushed for 2,628 yards in his 1988 campaign with Oklahoma State. It is absolutely ludicrous that in 2024 Jeanty is on track to come 200 yards short of the record in the regular season, especially at a time when so many teams have adopted the “air raid” offense and have moved away from the more “hard-nosed” running style that dominated the 1980s. It is still incredibly early in the season, but if Jeanty continues to dominate there is no question that his face should be on the Mount Rushmore of college football running backs. Former Alabama legend Damien Harris says Jeanty is “the most polarizing, must-see running back since Reggie Bush.”
DraftKings currently lists Jeanty’s odds of winning the Heisman at +225 with Travis Hunter of Colorado following at +300 and Cam Ward of Miami at +400. Travis Hunter is a generational talent, but it’s unlikely for him to win the trophy with voters who despise his coach’s antics for publicity. Cam Ward is currently only in the race because of his mastery of carving apart defenses who seem like they don’t want to be on the field. Unfortunately, Miami does not have a single ranked team on their schedule, so the hype around Cam Ward may dwindle. As of right now, the Heisman Trophy is Ashton Jeanty and Boise State’s to lose, but that might not be all that’s at stake this year for the Broncos.
As many know, the College Football Playoff Committee has implemented a new 12-team playoff model which works to the Broncos’ advantage. The new tournament style lets the 5 highest ranked conference champions make the playoff as well as 7 “at large” teams. If Boise runs the table and defeats the rest of their in-conference opponents then they will undoubtedly qualify for the playoffs. Should that happen, only one question remains: Can anybody stop Ashton Jeanty?
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