Courtesy of Boise State

BOISE, Idaho – Ashton Jeanty continues to earn national recognition, garnering selection as one of 20 semifinalists for the Walter Camp Award. The award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding player. The group of 20 semifinalists includes two running backs, Jeanty and Iowa’s Caleb Johnson. Jeanty and Army West Point’s Bryson Daily are the lone Group of 5 players.

Jeanty is the national leader in rushing yards (1,734), all-purpose yards per game (203.0) and points (144). He has 23 rushing touchdowns, equaling or besting the total of 116 FBS teams. The junior averages 140.0 yards after contact per game, higher than any FBS player’s total rushing yards per game average.

Jeanty’s 2024 campaign started with a historic performance at Georgia Southern, where he ran for a school-record 267 yards and six touchdowns. The following week, he had 200 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against Oregon, which is ranked No. 1 in the country. He played one half against Portland State, totaling 127 yards on 11 carries.

Boise State entered the AP Poll before the Washington State game and Jeanty capitalized, recording 266 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in the Broncos’ 45-24 win over the Cougars, who are now No. 18 in the nation. He followed that with a 186-yards, three-touchdown effort against Utah State, tallying those numbers on 13 carries in the first half.

At Hawai’i, Jeanty totaled 237 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on 34 touches. He had 36 touches against UNLV, gaining 139 yards in a crucial Boise State victory. The Lone Star (Texas) HS product had 180 yards from scrimmage against San Diego State, scoring two touchdowns. Last weekend, he matched his career-high with 36 touches, finishing with 221 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against Nevada.

Jeanty has four rushes of 70+ yards this season, one shy of LaDanian Tomlinson’s FBS record of five. He has more rushes of 20+ yards (17) than rushes for loss (14). He is the first running back of the century (since 2000) to record 1,500 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns in the first eight games of a season. He is averaging over 10 broken tackles per game and owns a 96.7 Pro Football Focus rushing grade, the highest in the nation.

This is the second national award to include Jeanty as a semifinalist, with the tailback also garnering recognition from the Maxwell Award. He was named midseason all-America by several national outlets, with the Associated Press and CBS Sports selecting him unanimously. Jeanty has notched Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week four times and Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week six times. 

No. 13 Boise State (8-1, 5-0 MW) will travel to San José State (6-3, 3-2 MW) for a MW contest on Nov. 16. The Broncos and Spartans will kick off at 5 p.m. MT with the game airing on CBS Sports Network.

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Led by Spencer Danielson in his first full season, Boise State looks to become the first Mountain West program to win back-to-back championships since San Diego State did so in 2015-16. Achieving such a feat will put Boise State in the discussion for the new, expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff format beginning this fall. Last year, Danielson became the first coach in college football history to win a conference championship with an interim title.

For complete coverage of Boise State Football, download the Bronco Sports App or follow the team on social media on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter/X.


–BroncoSports.com–