Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty on Pace for Rarefied Air

Boise State Running Back Ashton Jeanty may not be a household name, but his performance this season has placed him top-of-mind for Heisman voters. In fact, oddsmakers are placing him as the favorite for the most prestigious individual award in sports.

The season Jeanty is putting together, however, is not simply one worthy of an individual accolade. It’s one that is approaching an all-time degree of greatness.

So far, the Bronco is averaging 206.2 yards per game. Over the course of a 12-game season, that puts him on pace for a season total of 2,474 yards. That would be good enough for fourth all-time behind Barry Sanders’ historic 1988 season, Melvin Gordon’s 2014 performance, and Kevin Smith’s run in 2007. Sanders, obviously, won the Heisman Trophy. Gordon finished second to Marcus Mariota, and Smith was not one of the finalists. 

Such a finish would also place Jeanty immediately above Marcus Allen (1981), Rashaad Penny (2017), and Derrick Henry (2015). Both Allen and Henry saw their season result in Heisman Trophy awards.

While that’s certainly some elite company, what Jeanty is doing this season is in a whole other league. 

Over the course of their elite seasons, every one of the aforementioned backs posted strong yards per carry numbers. Penny (7.8), Sanders (7.6), Melvin Gordon (7.5), Marcus Allen (5.8), Smith (5.7), and Henry (5.6) all were stellar at moving the chains for the teams.

Jeanty, on the other hand, is averaging a first down every time he carries the ball. His 1,031 yards so far this season come on just 95 carries – giving him a 10.9 YPC average. Even when outmatched against P4 powerhouse Oregon, Jeany ran for 7.7 YPC when handed the ball.

On top of the elite yardage production, Jeanty is on pace for 38 rushing touchdowns—which would narrowly eclipse the Barry Sanders record of 37.

With a similar build and skill set to Alvin Kamara, Jeanty’s season has him poised to make a big splash come draft time. While the value of running backs has diminished, he currently sits #9 on the Big Board for PFF, #16 on ESPN, #17 on Tankathon, #8 on Bleacher Report, and #14 on CBS Sports—the top ranked back on each site.

His positioning certainly has him in line for first round consideration, and he may be aided by a resurgence of longevity among top NFL backs. Derrick Henry is leading the NFL in rushing at age 30. Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs are top 5 in their second contracts. Alvin Kamara, James Conner, and Aaron Jones are 29 and #6, #7, and #11 respectively.

Whereas running backs just a few years ago were waning in value by the time their rookie contract expired, the way the league uses them now seems to have added a few years of life to top end talent, increasing the value of the position again.

Look for Jeanty’s historic season to be tracked not only by Heisman voters, but by NFL scouts looking for how to utilize a first-round pick.