Boise State running back coach James Montgomery couldn’t help but smile and laugh when asked about the thought of Ashton Jeanty returning a key punt against No. 3 Oregon in week two at Autzen Stadium.
Is the possibility exciting? You better believe it.
Does it make sense? That’s another question entirely.
Boise State is toying with the idea of using its star running back in the return game this season to help improve upon some of the worst punt and kick return numbers in the country from last year.
“If we can find a way to make game-changing plays on special teams, we’re going to use those guys,” special teams coordinator Stacy Collins said. “If he gives us the best chance to get good starting field position, then he’ll be our guy who does it for us.”
Jeanty was recently named a Preseason First Team All-American by The Athletic and has been named to multiple other All-American teams as well.
He’s one of the top running backs in the country and could be drafted in the first few rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft with a strong junior season.
Jeanty is Boise State’s most valuable and most important player this season and is the biggest reason why many are projecting the Broncos to claim the Group of Five spot in the new 12-team playoff.
So does it make sense to risk a potential injury returning kicks and punts when the Broncos have plenty of other options to do it? It’s the question the Broncos are trying to figure out.
“It’s football – you can get hurt on any play,” Montgomery said. “Anything can happen in any game, any period of practice. We can’t put him in bubblewrap. … Obviously if we use him in those situations we will be smart about it but that’s really not my decision.
“Obviously he’s going to be a very big piece of our offense but he’s very dynamic with the ball in his hands. If we choose to do that we’ll be strategic about it but at the end of the day it won’t be my decision.”
Boise State ranked 123rd in the country last season with an average of just 3.38 yards per punt return. Only 11 teams in the country returned fewer punts than the eight Boise State did.
The Broncos’ 0.6 punts returned per game ranked 118th, and the 27 total punt return yards on the season ranked 126th.
Simply put: the Broncos were awful in the punt return game last season. Or maybe better put: they just simply ignored that part of the game.
They’d rarely return a punt – opting for the safer option of a fair catch – but they were bad in the few times they tried to.
The Broncos weren’t much better in the kick return game either, ranking 79th in the country with an average of just 19.31 yards per return. They returned just 26 kicks in 14 games.
“All through fall camp we’ve been trying to find guys who can go back there and be effective,” Montgomery said. “That’s been one of our emphasis because last year we weren’t very explosive in the return game and we’re trying to get better back there,” Montgomery said.
Jeanty certainly could change that.
“He’s always exciting with the ball in his hands,” Montgomery said. “If we get specific looks or we know we have a chance to return something, we’ll probably try to get him back there.”
Jeanty, who led the nation in yards per scrimmage last season at 159.7 per game, would clearly be Boise State’s best option. Nobody on the team is more dangerous and scarier with the ball in their hands than him.
But with Latrell Caples, Cooper Jones, Devon Banks, Kaden Dudley and other capable returners also getting reps, it’s fair to wonder if the Broncos would be better served by saving Jeanty’s bullets for when they are on offense.
It’s been done before here though. One example: former first round NFL Draft pick Doug Martin, a star Boise State running back who also returned kicks. He had a 100-yard kick return touchdown on the first play of the 2011 Maaco Bowl before rushing for 151 yards and another score.
Other running backs have been used in the return at times as well. But arguably none had as bright a future or were as important to the team as Jeanty appears to be.
To his credit, Jeanty says bring it on. Boise State’s team captain and leader is all about doing whatever it takes to win.
“I feel excited about it,” Jeanty said. “It’s just another way to get on the field and make plays and show that I can make something happen with space on the field.
“Every play you risk getting injured, especially at the position I play. But there’s more to it than that. At the end of the day I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Said Montgomery: “He has the mindset of whatever it is to help the team.”
Boise State brought Collins back after a stint at Penn State to help improve the special teams – and in particular the return game. Collins has an aggressive style in which he prefers to return kicks and punts and not fair catch them.
He also uses his best players on special teams. Penn State running back Nick Singleton, who had 2,000-plus rushing and receiving yards the past two seasons, also had 27 kick returns for 662 yards and a touchdown during that span – an average of 24.5 yards per return.
And that’s why he and the Broncos are intrigued by using a player like Jeanty.
“We’ve done a lot of research on that kind of stuff and talked to a lot of head coaches,” head coach Spencer Danielson said.
The verdict? It appears to still be out.
Using Jeanty in the return game increases his risk for injury – it’s a play he would have been on the sideline for after all – but getting him the ball as much as possible is hard to argue with.
It’s probably a safe bet to expect Jeanty back there at some point this fall. And when it does? Don’t miss it.
“He’s going to be a big-time issue for guys to deal with in the return game,” Danielson said. “Right now me and coach Collins are looking at it to see when we use him. We’re going to be smart with the spots we do, but we want him to have the ball in his hands as much as we can.”
