Football is a game of leverage. You’re taught from the age of six to get low, stay "coiled," and keep your hands on your knees so you can explode like a spring. Then comes Ashton Jeanty.
If you watched any Boise State games during his historic 2024 Heisman run, you saw it. While every other player on the field was hunched over in an athletic "ready" position, Jeanty was just... standing there. Perfectly upright. Chest out. Arms dangling. It looked less like an elite athlete waiting for a snap and more like a guy waiting for a bus. Or, as the internet quickly pointed out, it looked exactly like a slasher movie villain stalking his prey from the shadows.
The Ashton Jeanty Halloween stance became a legitimate phenomenon, earning him the nickname "Michael Myers." But it wasn't just a gimmick for the cameras. It was a psychological and tactical choice that followed him all the way to the Las Vegas Raiders, sparking a quiet war between his natural instincts and "old school" NFL coaching.
Why the Michael Myers Stance Actually Worked
Honestly, it looks lazy until you see him hit the hole. Jeanty didn't just stumble into this posture. He’s been doing it since his high school days at Lone Star in Texas. Most coaches hate it. They see a tall target and a slow start.
But Jeanty has a different logic. He says standing straight up allows him to remain completely relaxed. When your muscles are tense in a deep crouch, you’re burning energy. By standing tall, he’s loose. It also gives him a higher vantage point to scan the defense. He can see over the offensive line better than a back who’s buried in a squat.
"For me, it’s about being relaxed," Jeanty told reporters back in October 2024. He basically lives by a rule: if you can't hold the stance for five minutes, it’s not comfortable enough. His running backs coach at Boise State, James Montgomery, eventually gave up trying to change it. Why? Because Jeanty didn't "false step." He could go from a dead standstill to top speed without having to reset his feet. If you’re gaining seven yards a carry, no coach is going to tell you how to stand.
📖 Related: Ryan Suter: What Most People Get Wrong About the NHL's Ultimate Survivor
The 2024 Halloween Costume That Broke the Internet
Jeanty didn't shy away from the memes. He leaned in hard. During the 2024 season, as the "Michael Myers" comparisons reached a fever pitch, he actually donned the iconic mask for a photoshoot. It was perfect timing. He was in the middle of a season where he was chasing Barry Sanders' all-time rushing record, putting up numbers that seemed genuinely supernatural.
The image of him standing upright in the backfield—motionless, menacing, and then suddenly explosive—became the defining image of his Heisman campaign. It wasn't just about the mask; it was the vibe. He was the "Boogeyman" of the Mountain West.
The NFL Clash: Chip Kelly vs. The Stance
Fast forward to May 2025. Jeanty is a first-round pick for the Las Vegas Raiders. On day one of rookie minicamp, he runs into a problem: Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly.
Kelly is a "details" guy. He sees the Ashton Jeanty Halloween stance and sees a fundamental flaw. He reportedly walked up to Jeanty and asked him if he ever played basketball. When Jeanty said yes, Kelly asked him to show how he would guard someone. Jeanty instinctively dropped into a low, wide defensive stance.
"That’s exactly why you have to be down in your running back stance," Kelly told him.
👉 See also: Red Sox vs Yankees: What Most People Get Wrong About Baseball's Biggest Feud
For the first few weeks of the 2025 NFL season, Jeanty tried to comply. He got low. He played the "traditional" way. And frankly? He looked human. He was productive, sure, but that "hair-on-fire" explosiveness seemed slightly muted. The Raiders were struggling, and the "Michael Myers" magic felt like a college memory.
The Return of the Boogeyman
Everything changed in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears. After a frustrating start to the season, something clicked. Or rather, something un-clicked. Jeanty went back to his roots.
He stood up.
In that game, he exploded for 155 total yards and three touchdowns. Seeing him stand tall in the Silver and Black felt right. It was a "return to form" that even head coach Pete Carroll couldn't ignore. When asked about the return of the unorthodox stance, Carroll was blunt: "I loved it."
It turns out that for some players, "proper" technique is actually a cage. Jeanty proved that his comfort and his ability to read the field from an upright position outweighed the marginal gains of a "loaded" athletic start. He basically told the coaching staff that he had to "prove" it worked at the pro level before they'd let him be himself. Consider it proven.
✨ Don't miss: OU Football Depth Chart 2025: Why Most Fans Are Getting the Roster Wrong
What You Can Learn From Jeanty's Choice
There's a lesson here that goes beyond football. Everyone—from your boss to your coach—will try to force you into a "standard" way of doing things. "This is how it’s always been done."
- Comfort equals confidence: If you're fighting your own body, you can't focus on the task.
- Results silence critics: You can be as weird as you want as long as you're the most productive person in the room.
- Adaptation is a two-way street: Jeanty listened to Kelly, tried it his way, and then provided the data to show why his original way was better.
If you want to track how this evolves, keep an eye on the Raiders' goal-line sets. That’s where the Ashton Jeanty Halloween stance is most lethal. When the field shrinks, his ability to stand tall and pick a hole while everyone else is crashing down is what makes him a generational talent.
To see the difference for yourself, go back and watch the tape from the Raiders' Week 1 game versus the Week 4 breakout. Look at his eye level and his first step. You'll see a player who stopped thinking and started hunting.
The Boogeyman is back, and he isn't crouching for anyone.
Next Steps for Fans and Analysts
To truly understand the mechanics of the Michael Myers stance, watch the footwork of Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions. He is one of the few other NFL backs who utilizes a more upright "relaxed" posture. Compare how both players use their height to navigate "trash" at the line of scrimmage versus traditional "low-pad" runners like Nick Chubb. Pay close attention to the "false step"—or lack thereof—when the ball is snapped to see how Jeanty maintains his burst despite the high center of gravity.