What is Boise State Running Back Ashton Jeanty’s Background?

There has been one athlete on everybody’s lips this college football season: Ashton Jeanty.

The Boise State running back has set record numbers for not only his school but for college running backs everywhere. 

Jeanty is a steady leader in rushing yards this season, with the next contender more than 400 yards behind him. He is even on the road to breaking the NCAA’s all-time single-season rushing records of 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Although many are familiar with his stats, not many people know about his upbringing and how his past has shaped who he is today.

Before football

Jeanty didn’t have the stable childhood that many athletes are lucky to have. 

His father was a chief petty officer in the navy, so Jeanty moved around often. By the time he was in middle school, he had already lived in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia. His family even lived in an American military base in Italy when Jeanty was 13.

“It wasn’t anything easy, for sure, not because I was disciplined all the time, nothing like that…  just having to pack up and move every few months,” Jeanty said.

While playing basketball in Italy, he was scouted by a high school football coach. It didn’t take long for him to figure out just how talented Jeanty was.

“I knew that he had to leave Italy and get exposed to play at the next level,” Naples High School head football coach Jim Davis said.

Jeanty heads to Boise State

In 2019, Jeanty moved to Lone Star, Texas to play high school football. In just two years playing football there, Jeanty rushed for 2,218 yards and scored 39 touchdowns on the ground. He added another 96 receptions for 1,626 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air (maxpreps.com).

Jeanty’s stats were unquestionably impressive. However, he still wasn’t receiving the attention from the big–name colleges he maybe thought he would. He received offers from Dartmouth, Tulsa, New Mexico, North Texas, Air Force, Army, Navy, Sam Houston State, and Louisana. He received additional offers from Texas State, Kansas, Tulane, CAL, Boise State, and the Pennsylvania Quakers (247Sports.com).

Ultimately, Boise State noticed the high school senior’s abilities and won him over.

“It like fueled that fire in me to go even harder,” Jeanty said of his recruitment experience. “It was never given to me- anything, it was all earned.”

In his first two years at Boise State, Jeanty rushed for 2,168 yards and 21 total touchdowns. 

Fast forward to this season, according to ESPN as of Nov. 16, Jeanty is on pace to come up just short of record. That record was set back in 1988.

His accomplishments have even made him a top 5 contender for the Heisman Trophy.

Jeanty’s thoughts on the Heisman

When asked to state his case for winning the Heisman, Jeanty brought up his first touchdown of the 2024 season when he rushed for 77 yards and struck the signature pose for the award.

“There was a lot of things that were [said] about me before the season and I felt that on that first run, I shut all that down.”

He continued his reasoning, reminding fans of when he hit the ‘Heisman’ again after a 64-yard touchdown run he scored just three weeks later.

“Then, later on against Washington State, I ran through somebody’s face and scored a touchdown,” according to Athlon Sports. “I made my case for the Heisman right then and there.”

Whether he wins the esteemed award or not, Jeanty credits his path to his past and the lessons he has learned along the way.

In Jeanty’s full story, he stated, “Being a military kid, my dad- he set the example, always, of how to be disciplined. I feel like the same way he went up the ranks is the same way I’m going up the ranks.”

Victoria Jonach is an aspiring writer and media analyst fascinated by the activities players participate in off the football field. Growing up in New Jersey, she is a New York Giants fan and attends Rutgers University, pursuing a career in Journalism and Media Studies. She writes for FirstRoundMock.com covering anticipated draft picks and their acts of volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and other interests that shape these individuals.