Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty is declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, he announced on social media. The decision comes after a standout junior season in which he ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. Only former Oklahoma State and NFL star Barry Sanders has ever rushed for more yards in a season.
Jeanty finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado star Travis Hunter and is regarded as the top running back in the 2025 draft class, according to the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings.
“The opportunity to play in the NFL is a dream of mine, and I’m proud to represent Boise State and all of those who have helped me along the way at the next level,” Jeanty wrote in a social media post announcing his decision.
The Texas native arrived at Boise State as a four-star prospect from the Class of 2022 and made an immediate impact, rushing for 821 yards and seven touchdowns on 156 carries as a freshman. His 5.26 yards per carry foreshadowed the dominance that was to come over the next two seasons.
As a sophomore, Jeanty developed into an unstoppable force, averaging 6.1 yards per carry while totaling 1,347 yards on the ground. He also popped as a receiver in 2023 with 569 yards and five touchdowns on 43 receptions. The multi-faceted dynamism would have made Jeanty perhaps the most coveted player in the transfer portal.
However, he opted to remain loyal to the Broncos and returned to Boise State to lead the program on a storybook run in 2024. Jeanty surpassed 100 yards rushing in all 14 Boise State games as he guided the Broncos to the College Football Playoff.
Jeanty’s draft stock
Jeanty is regarded as the rare running back who could be a first-round pick. Not a single back was taken in the first round of the 2022 and 2024 drafts, and just two were taken in the first round of the 2023 draft. However, Jeanty is a consensus top-20 pick in the most-recent mocks from CBS Sports’ draft experts.
Analyst Ryan Wilson projects Jeanty as high as No. 9 in his latest mock draft. Jeanty registered as the No. 13 overall player in the 2025 CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings and drew a comparison to legendary running back Marshawn Lynch.
“Ashton Jeanty is a stocky but fast RB prospect with the best contact balance I’ve ever scouted,” Jeanty’s CBS Sports draft profile reads. “He’s essentially impossible to take down on first contact. He can play in a zone or power scheme because he can be a smooth North-South runner or make defenders miss with lateral jukes in the hole. He’s very elusive with light feet. His speed is great but not spectacular, and it won’t be surprising to see him hit some long runs in the NFL. Jeanty’s vision is an asset, too, often running between the tackles and finding tiny creases to squeeze through. He doesn’t provide plus ability as a receiver and had some drops in his final season, but of course he can be a weapon in the screen game, though. Altogether, this is one of the finest RB prospects we’ve seen over the past decade.”
Impact on Boise State
Jeanty leaves an unmatched legacy at Boise State and will go down as the greatest player in school history. The fact that he stayed for three seasons was a major victory for a program that was going through some coaching instability during Jeanty’s recruitment and career. The Broncos were surely prepared for this announcement and will inevitably have to undergo an offensive makeover in 2025.
Head coach Spencer Danielson promoted Nate Potter to offensive coordinator last week after previous offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter announced that he is stepping away from play-calling duties and into an analyst role. While the play-caller and primary offensive threat will be different in 2025, quarterback Maddux Madsen is expected to return after surpassing 3,000 yards passing during his redshirt sophomore season.
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