Ashton Jeanty receives another honor after close Heisman loss
The Sporting News has handed Ashton Jeanty All-American honors for the season. On Wednesday, the publication revealed its first-team offense members, and the No. 3 Boise State Broncos running back made the list with other players like Heisman-winning Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Jeanty is having a remarkable season as he looks to enter the 2025 NFL draft. He has 344 carries for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns.
The timing of the achievement from The Sporting News comes after the running back failed to win the Heisman Trophy over Hunter. On Dec. 14, the cornerback/wide receiver won the prestigious award over Jeanty, Ward, and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Ashton Jeanty lost by 214 points, which is the closest margin of victory for the Heisman since 2009.
Hunter's impressive stats on both offense and defense helped sway the voters in his favor. He led the No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) in receiving yards with 1,152 and interceptions with four.
Although the league-leading running back didn't win the award, his fanbase has supported him. He'll try to focus on helping his team win the College Football Playoff national championship and break the all-time single-season rushing yard record.
Ashton Jeanty continues chase of Barry Sanders' all-time single-season rushing yards record
Ashton Jeanty is less than 132 yards away from breaking NFL legend Barry Sander's all-time single-season rushing yards record of 2,628.
Sanders set the record in 1988 with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He also rushed for 222 yards and had five touchdowns in Oklahoma State's 62-14 win against the Wyoming Cowboys in the SeaWorld Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30, 1988. However, his rushing yards weren't counted towards what he did in the regular season. If it were, the all-time single-season record would've been 2,850.
The 132-yard difference puts the Boise State running back in a good position to surpass Sanders. Jeanty has achieved over 200 yards in his last two games. He finished the Broncos' (12-1, 7-0 Mountain West Conference) 21-7 victory over No. 24 UNLV Rebels (10-3, 6-1 Mountain West) in the Mountain West Championship on Dec. 6 with 32 carries for 209 yards and one touchdown.
It seems likely that the 2025 NFL draft prospect may break the record in his next game. Boise State will face the winner of Saturday's No. 11 SMU Mustangs (11-2, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) vs. No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2, 6-1 Big Ten) game in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Dec. 31.
Ashton Jeanty will try to achieve the milestone and help his team advance to the Capital One Orange Bowl semifinals on Jan. 9, 2025.