Seemingly everyone had a feeling Ashton Jeanty was going to be in for a fantastic 2024 season – maybe even worthy of Heisman Trophy buzz – before a snap had been played this year.
After a stellar 2023 season where he was the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and the G5 Offensive Player of the Year, there was plenty of hype surrounding the young running back.
But nobody knew he would start this season the way he did. Jeanty ran for 267 yards and six touchdowns – four in the first half alone – in Week 1 against Georgia Southern. Those are single-game BSU football records. That catapulted him into serious Heisman Trophy consideration.
But could Jeanty actually end up winning the award?
Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman Odds
Jeanty is the Heisman Trophy betting odds frontrunner at +175, via BetMGM. He initially wasn’t even on the board.
Jeanty is ahead of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (+400) and Miami quarterback Cam Ward (+600).
Ashton Jeanty of Boise State Broncos Football Making Heisman Hopes Known
Boise State posted on social media about Jeanty’s Heisman candidacy back in August. And considering how important he is to the offense and the team overall, it makes sense.
But after his performance in Week 1, plenty of media members began gushing about Jeanty.
The Heisman Trophy Twitter/X account posted a podcast interview with him. Robert Griffin III, a Heisman winner himself during his career at Baylor who’s now a college football commentator, called Jeanty his No. 1 Heisman Trophy frontrunner after the first week of the season.
But no matter how great Jeanty is, he faces an uphill battle to actually receive the award. Group of Five players have historically not won the Heisman very much – and haven’t at all this century. It’s also becoming more and more difficult for non-quarterbacks to win it in recent decades.
Who’s The Last Group of Five Player To Win The Heisman Trophy?
Roger Staubach was the last player from a team currently in the Group of Five to win the Heisman Trophy when he did so with Navy back in 1963.
Others have won it when their teams weren’t in a league that’s considered a “power” conference today. Ty Detmer is the most recent example of that. He won the Heisman in 1990 as the quarterback for BYU, which was in the Western Athletic Conference at the time but is now in the Big 12.
Who’s The Last Running Back To Win The Heisman Trophy?
Derrick Henry is the last running back to win the Heisman during his junior year at Alabama in 2015.
Going back to 2000, only three running backs have won the Heisman. That includes Reggie Bush of USC in 2005 and Mark Ingram of Alabama in 2009.
Who’s The Last Non-Quarterback To Win The Heisman Trophy?
Devonta Smith, a wide receiver at Alabama, won the Heisman four years ago in 2020. He’s only one of four receivers to ever win the award.
Smith is also one of four non-quarterbacks to win the Heisman since 1999.
Since the award was first given out back in 1935, 38 quarterbacks have won the Heisman. Running backs lead the way with 40 Heisman winners, and that’s not including the two fullbacks and two halfbacks which have also won the trophy. Two tight ends have earned the award as well.
Charles Woodson, a cornerback while he was at Michigan, is still the only defender to take the Heisman when he did so in 1997.
Ashton Jeanty Stats
After Week 7, Jeanty has 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. He leads the country in both categories by a comfortable margin. He’s also caught nine passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
He’s averaged 9.9 yards per carry.
Last year as a sophomore, Jeanty ran for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns on 220 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. He hauled in 43 passes for 569 yards and five scores.
Jeanty was a freshman in 2022 and split carries with George Holani, another Boise State great who made it to the NFL. That season, Jeanty ran for 821 yards and seven touchdowns on 156 carries for a 5.3 yards-per-carry average while catching 14 passes for 155 yards.
What’s The FBS Record For Rushing Yards And Touchdowns In A Single Season?
Barry Sanders set the FBS single-season rushing yards and touchdowns record at 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 1988 at Oklahoma State.
Jeanty is actually on track to have a shot of breaking those records. Sanders ran for 1,002 yards and 17 touchdowns on 130 carries in his first five games that season. Jeanty had 29 more yards and one fewer touchdown through his first five games in 2024.
Ashton Jeanty NFL Draft Chances
Jeanty is the No. 1-ranked Group of Five prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft class in my rankings. Barring something catastrophic, he’ll be drafted in April if he decides to move on from the college game.
However, his draft stock could be affected by the same factors as his Heisman Trophy candidacy.
For starters, Jeanty is a running back, a position that’s largely been undervalued in recent years by NFL franchises. Does that mean Jeanty won’t be selected in the first round? No. But it makes it tough for a team to justify taking him early.
Jeanty is also a Group of Five player. Even if he continues to thrive against the Mountain West this year, there’s a chance some teams won’t view him as highly because of the competition he faces.
Ashton Jeanty Height & Weight
Jeanty is a 5-foot-9, 215-pound running back playing in his junior season at Boise State. He’s originally from Jacksonville, Florida, and went to high school at Lone Star High School in Texas.
Boise State Game Next Week
Jeanty and Boise State (5-1) are playing on the road at UNLV on Oct. 25.
Boise State Score Last Week
Boise State defeated Hawaii 28-7 in Week 7.
