BOISE — Boise State’s Heisman Trophy campaign is well underway for Ashton Jeanty.
The school has created a logo with the running back’s likeness with ‘Hei2man’ written underneath it, the 2 being a nod to his jersey number. Boise State is selling shirts with the logo on it, trying to push Jeanty to the forefront of the conversation of the award given annually to the top player in college football.
While Jeanty is honored to be mentioned as someone who possibly could be in the running for the award when it is handed out in December, that’s not his main focus as Boise State participates in spring practice. For Jeanty, the important thing is making sure he’s ready to help the Broncos this fall in any way that he can.
“As a little kid, you always dream of things like that,” Jeanty said about the Heisman. “But I’m focused more on winning. If that comes along, it will come along with team success. It will take great play from other players to help me get there.”
It’s no surprise that Boise State, which hasn’t had a bona fide Heisman candidate since Kellen Moore finished fourth in voting in 2010, is pushing hard on Jeanty’s campaign. As a sophomore, Jeanty was second in the nation with 159.7 all-purpose yards per game, finishing the year with 1,347 rushing yards and 569 receiving yards.
With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams beginning this season, Boise State could be in the running for a spot, should it repeat as Mountain West champions. So, the Broncos, and Jeanty, could have a lot of national attention turned their way throughout the season.
That type of hype and pressure could get to some players, but not Jeanty.
“Every time I’m around Ashton he is on a mission,” said Boise State coach Spencer Danielson. “There is not one little bit of it, not even an inkling, of, ‘is it getting to his head, is he more worried about that than working and developing?’ Not one bit. My man is on a mission. He doesn’t need hype videos, YouTube videos, music, he is here to work and improve and he is training at the highest level I have ever seen.”
When Boise State started spring practice on March 11, that work was evident. Jeanty looked bulked up, estimating he’s added about five pounds of muscle since Boise State’s L.A. Bowl loss to UCLA in December.
It’s been a common theme among Boise State’s running backs, as Jeanty said sophomore Jambres ‘Breezy’ Dubar and true freshman Sire Gaines have both made a lot of gains in the weight room.
“This strength staff has done a great job at maximizing our gains, getting us bigger, stronger and faster,” Jeanty said. “That’s always the emphasis in the offseason, gaining weight, building your body up for the spring season.”
The other focus for Jeanty this spring is remaining healthy. He missed two and a half games to a lower-body injury in the second half of the season. With George Holani having graduated, he won’t be able to pick up the load should Jeanty get injured again this season.
Dubar and Gaines would most likely be next in line, with Dubar picking up 335 yards on 62 carries during his freshman season.
“You just got to be smart and that’s easier said than done for sure,” Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said about Jeanty’s workload this spring. “We don’t really need to see him getting tackled out there too often.”
That isn’t to say the running back can’t get anything out of this spring. While the Broncos may try to be careful with him on the practice field, off of it, he knows there is a lot of room for him to grow.
“I’m just taking those steps necessary to take care of my body,” said Jeanty. “It’s a big emphasis, staying healthy. They’ve already seen what I can do, but off the field I got to keep building on that. It’s about getting in the film room, learning defenses better, being locked in on the offense, just doing other things.”
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