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For the first time since 1990, a player from a school outside of the Power Five conferences may be in position to win the Heisman Trophy, at least in the opinion of Desmond Howard. With Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty currently leading the nation in all major rushing categories by a wide margin, Howard believes the junior should be the frontrunner midway through the year.
Howard said that he thinks consistency is the key to Jeanty, who will need routine big performances to remain in the conversation as a player in the Mountain West. The former Heisman winner also noted he believes Boise State will need to engage in a “dogfight” to overcome their lack of any singular major opponent.
“Because of his performances, we're starting to give him national attention,” Howard said on ESPN. “So now, a lot of [Heisman Trophy] voters are going to start to watch. ‘Okay, this kid from Boise State let's check on him week in and week out and see if he continues to put up these numbers.
“I don't think they're going to have any big, marquee national games but if they're in a dogfight and he's the difference maker in the game — despite who the opponent is — that's going to elevate his status as a Heisman Trophy candidate.”
Ashton Jeanty's 2024 statistics through five games
Historically, it has not been uncommon for running backs to win the Heisman Trophy, but it has been rare for a player outside of the Power Five conferences to be in the conversation. Jeanty has been one of the anomalies with his video game-like numbers being difficult to ignore.
Five games into the year, Jeanty has gone over 100 yards in all of them including two 200-yard games. Boise State has gone 4-1 in that span with their only loss to No. 7-ranked Oregon in a game where Jeanty still went for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.
In total, Jeanty already has 1,031 yards on the year and 16 touchdowns, leading Division I in both categories. He has nearly 300 yards more than the second-place rusher, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, despite being 15th in the country in rush attempts.
With the exception of the Oregon game, the star running back has averaged over 10 yards per carry in every other game in 2024. His 10.9 average yards per carry on the year are the most in the country for a player with as many carries as he has.
