Honestly, if you weren't glued to Boise State games on late-night Saturday TV in 2024, you missed a glitch in the simulation. We don't see running backs do this anymore. In an era where "the bell-cow back is dead" and everyone is obsessed with vertical passing attacks, Ashton Jeanty decided to spend three years in Idaho playing a completely different sport than everyone else.
He wasn't just good. He was "Barry Sanders 2.0" good.
When we talk about ashton jeanty college highlights, most people jump straight to the 2,601 rushing yards he hung on the FBS in 2024. That's a massive number—the fourth-highest in the history of college football—but the stats don't actually tell the story. The story is in the contact balance. It’s in the way he would disappear into a pile of four defensive linemen, only to pop out the other side like a squeezed bar of soap.
The Night Everything Changed: Georgia Southern
The 2024 season opener was basically a declaration of war. Jeanty stepped onto the field and put up 267 rushing yards. On 20 carries.
That is 13.4 yards every time he touched the ball. He scored six touchdowns that night. It wasn't just that he was faster than the Georgia Southern secondary—which he was—it was that he looked like he was playing against middle schoolers. He broke a 46-year-old school record in four quarters. If you go back and watch that tape, pay attention to the 75 and 77-yard scores. He doesn't just run; he glides. It was the moment the Heisman hype started, and for once, the internet didn't overreact. He was actually that good.
The "Heisman" Game That Wasn't a Win
You've probably heard people say the best players show up in the biggest games. Well, Boise State traveled to Eugene to play No. 7 Oregon in Week 2. Oregon was loaded. They had NFL talent at every level of the defense.
Jeanty didn't care.
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He finished with 192 yards and three touchdowns. Even in a 37-34 loss, Jeanty was the best player on the field. There’s a specific highlight from that game where he hits the hole, takes a shoulder from a linebacker that would have leveled most backs, stays upright with one hand on the turf, and just keeps going. That’s the "Jeanty Gene." He has this low center of gravity—he’s about 5'9" and 215 pounds—that makes him almost impossible to tip over.
Why Ashton Jeanty College Highlights Look Different
If you watch his film side-by-side with other top backs from the 2025 draft class, you’ll notice something weird. Jeanty faces "loaded boxes" constantly.
Defenses knew he was getting the ball. They would put 7, 8, or even 9 guys near the line of scrimmage just to stop him. According to PFF, he ran against a 7+ man box a nation-high 266 times in 2024.
He still averaged 6.9 yards per carry on those plays.
It’s one thing to break a long run because the hole is wide open. It’s another thing to lead the nation in yards after contact. Jeanty finished 2024 with 1,970 yards after someone tried to tackle him. To put that in perspective: if you took away all the yards he got before he was touched, his "after contact" yards alone would have led the entire country in rushing.
The Versatility People Forget
Before he became a pure power-and-speed rusher in his final season, the 2023 ashton jeanty college highlights were all about the passing game.
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People forget he had 569 receiving yards as a sophomore.
He was essentially a wide receiver coming out of the backfield. He has these soft, natural hands that you don't usually see on guys built like bowling balls. In 2023, he led all FBS running backs in receiving yards. By 2024, Boise State used him more as a traditional closer, but that receiving baseline is what made him a top-10 NFL pick. He wasn't just a "runcher"—he was a weapon.
The Record-Breaking Grind
Let’s look at the consistency, because that’s what scouts actually loved. A lot of guys have "highlight" games and then disappear for a month. Not this guy.
- He rushed for over 100 yards in every single game of the 14-game 2024 season.
- He had six games over the 200-yard mark.
- He set a College Football Playoff-era record with 143 forced missed tackles.
The Washington State game in late September was another masterpiece. 259 yards. Four touchdowns. He broke 18 tackles in that game alone. It’s exhausting just watching him. You can see the defenders in the fourth quarter start to take "business decisions"—diving at his ankles instead of trying to put a chest on him. They were tired of being hit by him.
The Final Chapter: The Fiesta Bowl and New York
Jeanty eventually finished second in the Heisman voting to Travis Hunter. Honestly? In almost any other year, Jeanty walks away with that trophy. He was the first player since 1996 to have 125+ rushing yards in 13 straight games. He was the identity of a Boise State team that made the College Football Playoff and secured a first-round bye.
His final college game against Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl was tough. Penn State’s defense was elite, and they sold out completely to stop him. He still managed 104 yards on 30 carries. It wasn't the 200-yard explosion people wanted for the "history books," but it was a gritty, pro-style performance that cemented his status.
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How to Project the Jeanty Tape to the Pros
If you’re watching his Boise State highlights to see how he translates to the NFL, look at the vision. Speed is great, but Jeanty’s ability to "press" a hole—basically baiting a linebacker to commit to one gap before sliding into another—is what makes him special.
He doesn't just run fast; he runs smart.
He finished his career with 4,769 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns. He broke Cedric Minter's 44-year-old school record for career yardage. He did all of this while staying loyal to Boise State despite having massive NIL offers to jump to the SEC or Big Ten. That says as much about him as the 70-yard touchdowns do.
What’s Next for Jeanty Fans?
If you want to truly appreciate what happened in Boise, you need to look at the advanced metrics beyond the highlight reels.
- Watch the yards after contact: Specifically, look for his "dead leg" move in the open field.
- Analyze the box counts: Notice how many defenders are in the frame when he takes the handoff.
- Track the explosive plays: He had 12 runs of 50+ yards in 2024 alone.
To see how this translated to the next level, you can now follow his progress with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he’s already setting rookie franchise records for yards from scrimmage. The highlights haven't stopped; the jersey just changed color.
Next Steps for Deep-Diving:
To get the full picture, you should compare his 2024 "success rate" per carry against other historic seasons like Barry Sanders (1988) or Christian McCaffrey (2015). You’ll find that while Sanders had more total yards, Jeanty’s efficiency against stacked boxes is statistically an anomaly in the modern era.