Boise State's Ashton Jeanty Is A Beast, But He's Not The Heisman Favorite | Barrett Sallee

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has taken the college football world by storm after rushing for 1,031 yards and 16 touchdowns in the first five games of the season. The resulting Heisman Trophy hype is as monstrous as his gaudy numbers. 

And they are gaudy. 

For perspective, USC’s Reggie Bush rushed for 601 yards through the first five games of his Heisman year in 2005. Alabama’s Mark Ingram posted 487 yards in 2009 when he won college football’s most prestigious award. Crimson Tide stud Derrick Henry racked up 570 yards when he hoisted the stiff arm trophy in 2015.

For those without a calculator handy, Ingram and Henry combined had only 26 more yards than Jeanty through five games.

BOISE, ID - OCTOBER 5: Running back Ashton Jeanty #2 of the Boise State Broncos hypes the crowd during the first half against the Utah State Aggies at Albertsons Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)

Ashton Jeanty's Been Unreal

I get it. Jeanty’s been unreal. Eclipsing that 1,000-yard mark at this point of the season is insane. It has even elevated him to the top spot on BetOnline’s Heisman odds board at +200, ahead of Colorado all-everything superstar Travis Hunter (+300)

But let's slow down a second. Jeanty’s not worthy of the Heisman Trophy yet. That designation should go to Hunter until Hunter proves otherwise.

I’m a Heisman voter and take great pride in that. When we get our ballots, we see the mission statement that says that the award is supposed to be given to "the outstanding college football player in the United States whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance and hard work."

Travis Hunter Is Doing It All

How is that not Hunter? The dude has 561 receiving yards with two touchdowns, has two interceptions, 16 tackles and broken up three passes. More importantly, he has played 320 snaps on defense and 300 on offense — significantly more than the next-highest player in the country, according to ESPN.

Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Baylor Bears at Folsom Field on September 21, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

The Heisman hype seems to be a result of the college football world being prisoners of the moment since Jeanty went off yet again, while Hunter sat back during Colorado’s bye week. That’s fine. It makes sense, actually.

What shouldn’t happen, though, is for Hunter to get docked simply because of the "Colorado factor." The Buffaloes have become one of the most polarizing teams in the country after coach Deion Sanders took over in 2023, second only to Notre Dame. You either love the Buffs or you hate the Buffs, and there isn’t anything in between.

Don’t let that cloud your Heisman judgement, though. Hunter is light years ahead of anybody in the sport, and that won’t change anytime soon.