Still Setting Records: Ashton Jeanty Makes History As Highest Boise State Draft Pick

Former Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty made Bronco history Thursday night by becoming the highest-drafted player out of the program as the Las Vegas Raiders' only first round pick (6th overall). It was a true full-circle moment for the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

“Everybody wants to play in the NFL, everybody wants to be a top-10 football pick - Ashton went and did the work and now he’s achieved it,” said Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson. “Those are the moments as a coach that make you emotional - seeing him do what he said he wanted to go out and do.”

Danielson, along with Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey were with Jeanty and his family in the green room backstage Thursday night, watching with pride as the first All-American in Boise State history realized his lifelong dream.

“It’s a family at Boise State,” Danielson told G5 Football Daily. “College football has become very transactional and that’s not us - we focus on transformation. So when you see a young man like Ashton come to us at 17-years old and now is the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft - that’s a young man that has been transformed. And we are all a part of it, I can’t be my best without Jeramiah Dickey being his best. It trickles down.” 

Jeanty acknowledged the uniqueness of having both a head coach and an athletic director be with him on his life-changing night.

“It’s amazing, because they helped me get to this point, they put a lot into me, they believed in me when nobody else did,” expressed Jeanty. “I’m grateful to have been able to share that experience with them.”

Boy, did Boise State believe in him. Jeanty carried the ball 750 times in his three years with the Broncos. He caught 80 passes, scored 56 touchdowns and even recorded two tackles - one against San Jose State and one against UCLA.

His versatility knows no bounds, both on the field and off, something the Raiders would do well to embrace.

“Let's talk about who they are getting culturally first - they are getting a guy in that locker room that shows everybody what it takes to be a champion, what it takes to be a leader,” exclaimed Danielson. “And then they are getting one of the most explosive players on the field at all times. I don’t care what team they play, Ashton Jeanty is going to be a nightmare for every single defense.”

It's a fitting description of the 5'9" ball carrier, given that his backfield stance is certainly not what dreams are made of. 

Jeanty garnered massive internet attention last season for the spooky way he stands straight up prior to play. The globe-trotting back insisted it gave him a clearer view and better read of the defense. It may be unconventional, but you can’t really argue with Jeanty’s results. 

Even Danielson became a believer, sharing that despite his initial doubts, Jeanty’s stance has made him rethink conventions and wonders whether coaches are just overthinking things like that - another way Jeanty changed Boise State and college football for the better.

“That’s definitely something I’m leaving as part of my legacy at Boise State,” laughed Jeanty. “I showed Coach that it doesn't matter where you stand, it just matters if you’ve got that dog in you.” 

Jeanty is a regular guy too, a man of the people who likes sour patch kids candy and music by Bossman Dlow. If you think becoming the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley was taken at No. 2 in 2018 is going to change him, think again. He’s the same guy with the same mission - to leave each world he inhabits better than how he found it.

“For me, legacy is impact - you can’t buy those things, there's no price tag you can put on that,” said Jeanty. “Boise State was the only place I could continue that and leave something that will be there forever.”

Jeanty has raised over 250,000 dollars for an endowed scholarship in his name - the Ashton Jeanty Endowed Scholarship for Football. He encourages those in his community to share in his Faith. And he is still checking in on the Boise State team he has to leave behind.

“Ashton was already asking me how players are doing, how the team is doing through spring, saying he is going to come out in the summer to watch them run decks,” shared Danielson. “This is not just a team, it’s a family. And that’s different than anywhere else in college football.”

While Jeanty will be taking many things with him from Boise State (records, rings, role model status) Danielson insists that there will be plenty more tangible trinkets in his future.

“I’m sure he’s got a helmet, I’m sure he’s got a jersey, I’m sure he’s going to have some of those pictures on the wall, probably his championship rings and all those things,” admitted Danielson. “But he’s going to have a trophy case that’s going to continue to grow and hopefully he’s going to have a Super Bowl trophy in his future too.”

More Reading Material From G5 Football Daily