By james art 
Everyone seemed to have a feeling that Ashton Jeanty would be in for a fantastic 2024 season — maybe even Heisman Trophy-worthy — before a moment was played this year.
After a stellar 2023 season in which he was the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and the G5 Offensive Player of the Year, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the young running back.
But no one knew he would start this season the way he did. Jeanty ran for 267 yards and six touchdowns — four in the first half alone — in Week 1 against Georgia Southern. These are BSU football single-game records. It catapulted him into serious Heisman Trophy consideration.
But can Jeanty really win the prize?
Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman Odds
Jeanty has the fourth best Heisman Trophy betting odds at +500, via BetMGM. He wasn’t even on the board at first, but then he was the favorite two weeks ago.
Gianti trails only Miami linebacker Cam Ward and Colorado star Travis Hunter (+200) as well as Oregon linebacker Dylan Gabriel (+300).
Boise State posted on social media about the Jeanty Heisman bid back in August. And considering how important he is to the offense and the team as a whole, it makes sense.
But after his performance in Week 1, many members of the media started gushing about Jeanty.
The Heisman Trophy Twitter/X account posted a podcast interview with him. Robert Griffin III, himself a Heisman winner during his Baylor career who is now a college football commentator, named Jeanty his No. 1 pick for the Heisman Trophy after the first week of the season.
But as great as Janti is, he faces an uphill battle to claim the prize. Group of five players historically haven’t won the Heisman much — and they haven’t at all this century. It’s also become increasingly difficult for non-quarterbacks to win it in recent decades.
Who is the last group of five players to win the Heisman Trophy?
Roger Staubach was the last player from a team currently in the Group of Five to win the Heisman Trophy when he did it with Navy in 1963.
Others have won it when their teams were not in what is today considered a “power” conference. Ty Detmer is the most recent example of this. He won the Heisman in 1990 as a quarterback for BYU, which was in the Western Athletic Conference at the time but is now in the Big 12.
Who is the last running back to win the Heisman Trophy?
Derrick Henry is the last running back to win the Heisman in his junior year at Alabama in 2015.
Going back to 2000, only three running backs have won the Heisman. This includes USC’s Reggie Bush in 2005 and Alabama’s Mark Ingram in 2009.
Who is the last non-quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy?
Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith won the Heisman four years ago in 2020. He is only one of four receivers to ever win the award.
Smith is also one of four non-quarterbacks to win the Heisman since 1999.
Since the award was first presented in 1935, 38 quarterbacks have won the Heisman. Running backs lead the way with 40 Heisman winners, and that doesn’t include the two fullbacks and two linebackers who have also won the trophy. Two tight ends also earned the award.
Charles Woodson, a cornerback while at Michigan, is still the only quarterback to take home the Heisman when he did so in 1997.
Ashton Janty Stats
After Week 10, Gianti has 1,525 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. He is first in the country in both categories. Iowa’s Caleb Johnson is second in the FBS with 1,279 yards. Johnson, Army’s Bryson Daly and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson are tied for second in the nation with 19 rushing TDs.
Jeanty’s also caught 14 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 8 yards per carry.
Last year as a sophomore, Jeanty rushed for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns on 220 carries for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. He caught 43 passes for 569 yards and five scores.
Jeanty was a freshman in 2022 and split with George Holany, another Boise State great who made it to the NFL. That season, Jeanty rushed for 821 yards and seven touchdowns on 156 carries for an average of 5.3 yards per carry while catching 14 passes for 155 yards.
What is the FBS record for rushing yards and touchdowns in a season?
Barry Sanders set the FBS record for single-season rushing yards and touchdowns with 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in 1988 at Oklahoma State.
Jeanty was actually about to have a shot at breaking those records. Sanders rushed for 1,002 yards and 17 touchdowns on 130 carries in his first five games this season. Jeanty had 29 more yards and one less touchdown through his first five games in 2024.
Ashton Janty NFL Draft Chances
Jeanty is the No. 1 ranked Group of Five prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft class in my rankings. Barring something catastrophic, he will be called up in April if he decides to forgo the college game.
However, his lineup could be affected by the same factors as his Heisman Trophy bid.
For starters, Jeanty is a running back, a position that has been largely undervalued in recent years by NFL franchises. Does this mean Jeanty won’t be a first round pick? No. But it’s hard for the team to justify taking him earlier.
Jeanty is also a Group of Five player. Even if he continues to thrive against the Mountain West this year, there’s a chance some teams won’t view him as highly because of the competition he faces.
Ashton Janti Height and Weight
Jeanty is a 5-foot-9, 215-pound running back who played his junior season at Boise State. He is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Lone Star High School in Texas.
Boise State Game next week
Jeanty and Boise State (7-1) play Nevada at home this week. The game will begin at 8:00 PM ET on Saturday and will be televised on FOX.
Boise State Score last week
Boise State beat San Diego State 56-24 in Week 10. The Broncos beat UNLV 29-24 the week before that.
