Six weeks into the college football season, it’s clear that the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy plays at Boise State. Ashton Jeanty could be the first non-quarterback to win the prestigious award since Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith in 2020.
Jeanty, a junior running back for the No. 17 Broncos, is now appointment TV. He is blockbuster and a must-watch. So far, through six games, he has rushed for a nation-leading 1,031 yards and 16 touchdowns. That’s 260 yards more than the country’s second-leading rusher, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson.
And with at least seven games left on Boise State’s schedule, 2,000 rushing yards is within real reach for Jeanty. Which likely puts him in the clear for a preseason bet he made with one of Boise State’s offensive linemen, Mason Randolph.
If Jeanty doesn’t rush for 2,000 yards, he has to cut off his locks. If he surpasses the number, Randolph has to get a tattoo with Jeanty’s rushing total.
Jeanty explains:
Should he rush for 2,000 yards, Jeanty would be the first player to do so since 2019, when four players did it: Navy’s Malcolm Perry, Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard, Ohio State’s JK Dobbins, and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor.
And if Boise State plays in the Mountain West title game and then a College Football Playoff or bowl game, it’s not out of the question that Jeanty could break the single season rushing record of 2,628 yards set by Barry Sanders in 1988. Over those potential next nine games, Jeanty would have to average 177.4 rushing yards per game.
Currently, heading into a Saturday night matchup with Hawaii, Jeanty averages 206.2 yards per game.
