As a child, Ashton Giunty was more into basketball than football. So before he grew into a 5-foot-9 battering ram in cleats, his favorite athlete was LeBron James. The globetrotting son of a naval officer, Giunty spent much of his childhood in Florida while James was with the Miami Heat.
“When I see (LeBron) break all expectations, I feel like I've done the same thing in my career,” Giunty said.
That's why the Boise State running back is the eternal answer to the same question — who is your favorite athlete? — for generations of Broncos fans.
Giunty did not win the Heisman Trophy, finishing second to Colorado's Travis Hunter. But he was given the most points by the Heisman runner-up, who suffered the narrowest loss since 2009. He also won the Maxwell Award (Player of the Year), the Doak Walker Award (Running Back of the Year), and the unanimous All-American Award. honor. And Jeanty is looking ahead to another major milestone.
This season, he enters the College Football Playoff with 2,497 rushing yards, just 131 yards shy of the official college football single-season record set by Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders in 1988. At least that's the record, considering Giunty is averaging 192.1 rushing yards per game this season. There's a good chance he'll break that record in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Penn State on the 19th. December 31st.
But Giunty is more than just a Heisman runner-up and a running back on his way to achieving record-breaking statistical feats in the NFL's first round someday. He did better than most in a Boise State program with a reputation for giant-killing and rich running back history.
“Ashton Giunty is a phenomenal player in college football and will be a phenomenal player in the NFL,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “Not just from his play on the field, but from the culture he brings.”
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Sanders' record is somewhat nuanced. He rushed for 2,628 yards in just 11 games en route to the Heisman in 1988. Genty has already appeared in 13 games. And Sanders' unofficial record stands at 2,850 yards, including the 222 yards he gained in the Holiday Bowl before bowl game statistics were officially counted.
While some may downplay Giunty's record if he sets it, Sanders is not one of them, sending out a tweet wishing Giunty well before Boise won the Mountain West Championship. There is.
“Fans may be frustrated, but records are meant to be broken and I'm rooting for you,” Sanders wrote.
Hey @AshtonJeanty2 – Good luck tonight.
My fans may be unhappy, but I'm rooting for you because records are meant to be broken. I love seeing all these @NFL and @NCAA #RB Indicates the value of the position. #runtherock pic.twitter.com/bk0NtPbAL0— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) December 6, 2024
Asked about Sanders' performance, Giunty said, especially after coming up short in the Heisman race, “breaking a record that's been around for decades is like the cherry on top.” But Boise State enters the first 12-team playoffs as the No. 3 seed in Group 5, a record that changes what Giunty achieved, accomplished or not, contested or not. isn't it.
This statistic is staggering, as if Paul Bunyan played high school football. Nearly 2,500 rushing yards, an FBS-leading 30 total touchdowns, 7.3 yards per carry, and six games with 200 or more rushing yards. His season low was 127 yards against Portland State and he was pulled at halftime. Giunty single-handedly defeated 115 FBS teams this season. The next closest player to him in terms of rushing yards is North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton with 1,660 yards. That's less than the 1,889 yards that Giunty gained after contact. He became the first player since 2019 to eclipse 2,000 yards rushing.
“I love watching Ashton play with his combination of physicality, speed and control,” said Alexander Mattison, a former Boise State graduate who is now back in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders. “But I got to know him as a real person, not just a football player. It's fun to see him get everything he deserves. He loves the game and if If you love the game, the game will love you.”
Boise State has an impressive pedigree of running backs, and Giunty will be the next in the Broncos' bellcow to play in the NFL. Giunty passed Cedric Minter this season to become the program's all-time leading rusher, breaking numerous records that Minter had held since at least 1980. But a modern-day series of blowbacks extends to Ian Johnson, who famously won the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. The Statue of Liberty takes over, followed by Jeremy Avery, Doug Martin, DJ Harper, Jay Ajayi (former single season record holder), Jeremy McNichols, Mattison and George Holani.
It's quite a list, but it's just the running backs. Former quarterback Kellen Moore is the winningest QB in FBS history (50) and the program's only other Heisman finalist (finished fourth in 2010). He remains a Boise State icon. But after this season, no one can compare to what Giunty produced on the field or what he represents off the field.
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“He is a unanimous captain and a member of our leadership council,” Danielson said, adding that he meets one-on-one with Jeanty after council each week.
“Every time we have a meeting, nothing about Ashton is talked about. He's asking about the team, about the players, how he can lead better and have a bigger impact. ” Danielson said. “That's unusual. He's different in every way.”
Janti cares a lot about awards and honors. Whether he rattles off the individual goals he set for himself this season or laments his Heisman finish by saying, “I felt like I should have walked away with this award,” I didn't hesitate. That's part of the reason he returned to Boise State this season because he believed he could accomplish everything he wanted where he was.
But Jeanty also cares about the legacy he leaves behind. That's why he accepted being the team's captain, leader and de facto spokesperson. That's why he turned down a more lucrative name, image and likeness (NIL) transfer offer last offseason. That's why he established the Ashton Jeanty Football Scholarship in October, when he broke all records to become a Heisman finalist and lead the Broncos to a Mountain West title and a CFP first-round bye. The scholarship has raised more than $180,000 toward its $200,000 goal and will help support future Boise State athletes.
“He's like a movie star here,” athletic director Jeramiah Dickey said. “We ended up having to get security for him and cut off the autograph and photo line. He's such a good kid and doesn't want to say no to anyone, so it was great to help him. It was our responsibility.”
Giunty is already the most decorated player in program history and has put Boise State in position to reach its first top-flight national championship. He has a chance to set a single-season rushing record that could stand for decades.
And none of that will surpass what he meant to Boise State football and the community surrounding it.
“Culture is about the people here. It's just bringing Boise State back to what it used to be and having a positive impact on everyone,” Gianti said. “People won't remember the stats or the games, but they'll remember how I treated people, how I carried myself during my stay here, and that You will remember the impact you had.”
— The AthleticVic Tafur contributed to this report
(Photo: Lauren Orr/Getty Images)
