Ashton Jeanty

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOISE STATE ATHLETICS

A Legacy Beyond the Blue

BY JASON CHATRAW

Before each offensive snap, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty lines up in the backfield with the casualness of someone waiting to buy groceries—feet shoulder width apart, hands resting at his side, head motionless. Combine all that with his five-foot, nine-inch stature and his soft-spoken nature and it’s easy to see why people underestimate him, overlook him, and dismiss him.

But those eyes aren’t still. They’re scanning for the defense’s weakness, for a gap to streak through, for a player to run over.

Good running backs all have strength, speed, and agility. But the great ones also have elite vision.

And Jeanty has that in spades—both on and off the field.

“I feel like I am the best player in the country, and I put that on notice every single week,” Jeanty said before the Mountain West Championship game, delivered with his typical softspoken demeanor.

During the 2024 season, Jeanty electrified the Boise State fan base with jaw-dropping runs, breath-taking hurdles, and ankle-breaking moves. He also got the attention of the college football world, earning him a trip to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing second to Colorado’s two-way superstar Travis Hunter in the closest vote in 15 years.

But in the era of college football where marquee players chase lucrative deals, make more than some in the NFL through name, image, and likeness agreements, and can transfer from one school to the next almost at will, Jeanty has resisted all of it. He’s emerged as a refreshing yet constant figure amidst a sea of change, turning down rumored seven-figure deals to leave the Boise State program a year ago for bigger schools with blueblood pedigree.

So why did Jeanty stay?

Turns out, he bleeds Bronco blue—and then some.

I want the student-athletes that come after me to have the same support I’ve felt. I want to help clear obstacles for them, too.

A Legacy Beyond The Blue

Jeanty’s love for his school couldn’t have been any more evident than at the Heisman Trophy media sessions where he spurned flashy and stylish suits worn by his fellow finalists for a Boise State track suit. The move delighted fans and had social media buzzing, where his savvy has helped him grow an audience of over 600,000.

“Ashton has consistently said, ‘I’m a Boise State Bronco.’ And that’s a testament to him,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said.

But those are mere snippets of Jeanty, a drop in the bucket compared to how his conquests on the field have more than cemented his legacy at Boise State. By rewriting the record books, he’s assured that his name will forever be mentioned among some of the greats like Kellen Moore, Ian Johnson, Jay Ajayi, Leighton Vander Esch, Austin Pettis, and Billy Winn.

However, Jeanty wanted to leave a legacy off the field too.

“I know how much being in college has impacted me and helped me grow as a person,” Jeanty said. “So to be able to give back to the community is amazing. I think it’s important to realize how much the game of football gives to athletes, especially myself. And to be able to give that back to the younger generation—and even people my age—is a big deal.”

Out of that desire grew the Ashton Jeanty Endowed Scholarship for Football. His endowment, one that he asked Broncos fans to participate in giving to, eclipsed the goal of $200,000 within days of its launch.

“I want the student-athletes that come after me to have the same support I’ve felt,” Jeanty said in his initial pitch for the fund. “I want to help clear obstacles for them, too.”

I think it’s important to realize how much the game of football gives to athletes, especially myself. And to be able to give that back to the younger generation—and even people my age—is a big deal.

Staring Down Challenges

The challenges Jeanty has faced in his ascent to the college football world have been greater than facing eight and nine defenders crowding the line of scrimmage.

Growing up in a military family and living overseas, Jeanty couldn’t even start playing tackle football until he was a freshman in high school. With his father stationed at the Gricignano Support Site, a U.S. Naval site near Naples, Italy, Jeanty started out as a quarterback. But it didn’t take his coach long to realize two things—Jeanty was special and he needed to find better competition to help him develop.

The school’s closest competition was at a similar base in Vicenza, Italy, a nine-hour bus ride. Other games required traveling to Germany (an 18-hour bus ride), Spain, and Belgium. And after Jeanty’s move to running back over the final four games of the season that resulted in 1,200 rushing yards on less than a hundred carries along with 17 touchdowns, his coach recommended his family find a way to get transferred back to the U.S. where his talent could be properly developed.

The Jeanty family moved to Frisco, Texas for his sophomore year, where he continued to flourish. Despite continuing his trend of running through and over opposing defenses in high school, his size and lack of exposure at major recruiting events resulted in a tepid response from college recruiters.

But Boise State extended him an offer, one that excited the well-traveled running back. And Jeanty has taken full advantage of it, elevating his own stock for the NFL Draft as well as carrying Boise State into the first 12-team playoff in college football history.

As much as everyone sees his gaudy stats and thinks he’s all there is to the team, the truth is that Jeanty elevates his teammates by inspiring them to greater heights.

“How can we separate ourselves from the rest?” Jeanty barked in a circle of players at practice. “It’s about doing the small things, right?”

The players roared in agreement.

It won’t be long before Jeanty will hear bigger roars in NFL stadiums in the coming years. Yet it’ll be his dedication to strength and fitness, hours in the film room, and time learning how to be a leader that led to a legacy sure to outlast the cheers for him on the field.

To donate to the Ashton Jeanty Endowed Scholarship for Football, visit https://ponyup.boisestate.edu/campaigns/ rushing-toward-legacy.