Heisman Watch: Ashton Jeanty

Ashton Jeanty could have played at a Power 4 school and earned an absurd amount of money competing for a bigger school. However, he decided to stay at Boise State and is having a historical season, halfway through the season.

As of right now, Jeanty is on pace to break Barry Sanders’ insane single-season rushing yards record from his historic 1988 season.

The competition factor that would typically be an argument for a player like Jeanty on a team like Boise State is not a great argument in Jeanty’s case.

In the second week of the season, he was the main reason the Broncos were right in the game against now No. 2 Oregon.

He ran it 25 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns. He completely torched one of the best teams in the country.

His numbers against some of these non-power 4 schools is the reason he will be able to potentially break the rushing record.

His biggest mark is against a former-power 5 school in Washington State. He rushed 26 times for 259 yards and four touchdowns en route to a commanding victory.

He is the reason the Broncos are the lead team for the Group of 5 spot in the College Football Playoff and it won’t be an easy first-round matchup. The Broncos have proven to be able to compete with a top team in the nation and with a generational running back in the backfield, they will be a tough team to put away.

It’s not just the stats that make Jeanty impressive. The runs that he has had throughout the game have already given the Heisman frontrunner some “Heisman Moments.”

Every Heisman Trophy winner has that Heisman moment, or even multiple moments and through six games, Jeanty has a few that just wow the crowd.

Not only does he have breakaway speed, but the Broncos’ superstar has the ability to run through defenders as well as leap over the defender to create some incredible moments.

He gets a week off before the biggest matchup of the back half of the rest of the season. Boise State travels to Las Vegas to take on UNLV. If the Broncos come out on top, it’s almost certain they will head to the Mountain West Conference Championship.

Jeanty’s opportunities will continue to show up even with defenses knowing he’s going to get the ball. That’s what makes him so special is the fact he continues to run wild despite defenses stacking the box to stop him and knowing that he is going to get the handoff.

He currently holds an impressive streak of at least one 50 or more-yard rush in every game. If that continues, he will continue to rise and continue to pull away from the rest of the pack for the Heisman Trophy.

The biggest competitor to Jeanty so far this season is two-way superstar Travis Hunter. Hunter has dominated on both sides of the ball and proves that there is not just one generational player in the country. Hunter is doing something that hasn’t really been seen since his current head coach was doing it, Deion Sanders.

Andrew Deal is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email asd5765@psu.edu.