It is hard to stay in the moment with Ashton Jeanty.
As Boise State’s running backs coach James Montgomery finished up his press conference on Wednesday, NFL scouts from the Jaguars, Vikings and Chiefs stood off to the side. Director of Recruiting Kyle Young introduced Montgomery to the group and they all walked down the hall. One could guess who was being discussed.
With each passing week, Jeanty is becoming more and more of a known commodity.
Against San Diego State on Friday, he could have filled SportsCenter’s Top 10 by himself. He was that remarkable. The sophomore carried the ball 23 times for 205 yards and a pair of scores while catching four passes for almost 50 yards. He accounted for 63% of the Broncos’ total offense.
Through four weeks, Jeanty has bobbed and weaved and trucked people to the tune of 407 rushing yards (102 ypg) and caught 18 passes for 285 yards (71 ypg).
Without returning a single punt or kickoff, Jeanty leads the nation in all-purpose yards (692). He’s tied for the most touchdowns in America (8). And nobody in the Mountain West has run for more yards.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty runs the ball against UCF. (Courtesy of Boise State Athletics)
“Heisman-like,” receiver Eric McAlister said of Jeanty. “It’s insane. It’s like you’re watching a Madden highlight. It doesn’t seem real. It seems like no one can tackle him.”
And it seems like no one can refrain from talking about Jeanty’s future. There’s the long-term stuff. The NFL Combine. The draft. NFL teams might devalue running backs, but it’s the shifty pass-catching backs like Jeanty who are being spared. Problem is: That’s a conversation for next year — Jeanty can’t enter the draft until after his junior season.
Then there’s shorter-term speculation, the inquiries that will really start brewing after the season. Let’s just say it is expected that top programs are beginning to — if they haven;t already — do their research and inquire about adding Jeanty next year. Boise State has been mighty fortunate to keep its stars out of the transfer portal, but many of the top teams in America — maybe even some in his home state of Texas — are going to throw a lot of money at Jeanty.
And, finally, there are the questions about the next few weeks and months. With George Holani out, Jeanty is a workhorse. He played over 60 snaps against UCF two weeks ago, a little fewer against North Dakota and then was in on 54 of the Broncos’ 63 offensive plays on Friday. That, to Montgomery, “was right at where we wanted it.”
Perhaps it is human nature to believe good things can’t last forever. That it would be impossible for Jeanty to keep playing and producing at this ridiculous pace. But maybe we are misguided. Think of this like a mile race. When a runner jets out to a blistering pace, we do not expect them to keel over on the home stretch. We think they might slow down, but we also root for a record time.
So is what Jeanty is doing sustainable?
“I think we’ve seen over time running backs be able to sustain this pace and have really good seasons,” Montgomery said. “(Like former Stanford running backs) Christian McCaffery, Bryce Love. I mean (former Wisconsin tailback) Ron Dayne did it for four years.
“I think it’s definitely sustainable,” Montgomery continued. “But you just have to do your job in taking care of your body, preparing how you need to prepare and then getting your rest — sleep is a big factor in all of that.”
And if we look back at Boise State history, what Jeanty’s doing is nothing new. Jeremy McNichols, Alexander Mattison and Jay Ajayi were constantly taking over 25 carries per game. Jeanty hasn’t once rushed the ball 25 times this season. Sometimes, because he is so integral to Boise State’s success every week, it just feels like he’s getting the ball every play.
When Holani returns from injury — a specific timetable is still unknown — Jeanty will be able to rest a bit more. But, at the moment, it’s hard to put Jeanty on the bench. Heading into Saturday’s matchup at Memphis, Jeanty is responsible for 43% of all of Boise State’s offensive yards and 57% of its trips to the end zone.
The Broncos are smart to use Jeanty as much as possible. What’s the point of having a Porche if you not use it? But the Broncos know a more balanced offense can be beneficial for everyone.
“Every rep you take off of Jeanty is a critical rep,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “Certainly, we know what we’ve gotta get down. We’ve got to improve throwing the football. If we get that done, we take some pressure off of Ashton and we’re playing at a high level.”
