Ashton Jeanty set to take advantage of NFL’s running back renaissance

Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs among new wave of NFL running backs

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The running back revolution is underway in the NFL, and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is set to take advantage of the groundwork laid by Saquon Barkley and others. 

Jeanty put together a junior season for the ages, leading the country in carries (374), yards (2,601) and touchdowns (29). The 5-foot-8, 211-pound dynamo recorded a staggering 1,970 yards after contact while forcing 164 missed tackles. 

Jeanty, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Colorado’s Travis Hunter, fell 28 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders’ FBS single-season rushing record.

As Jeanty shredded Mountain West Conference defenses and led Boise State to the College Football Playoff, Barkley was also putting up historic numbers for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Barkley, who ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 regular-season games, had a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. But Barkley opted to skip Week 18 and rest up for the playoffs. 

The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl. 

Fellow running backs Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor and Jahmyr Gibbs also had monster seasons in 2024.

The NFL’s running back renaissance couldn’t have come at a better time for Jeanty, who is widely expected to be an early selection in Thursday’s first round. 

“I think the value is definitely going back up courtesy of guys in the league doing it, but also guys in college playing at a high level,” Jeanty said of the running back position in a recent interview with CBS Sports. “I had a really great, historic season, but there were a lot of other great guys who had great seasons as well and did great things in college football. People are like ‘It’s a little running back renaissance,’ but I believe it’s here. The time is now to get you a great running back to be that X-factor for your offense.”

Jeanty ran for 821 yards and seven touchdowns during his freshman season at Boise State. He nearly doubled his production the following year with 1,347 yards and 14 TDs while catching 43 passes for 569 yards and five scores. 

Jeanty ended his Boise State career with 750 carries for 4,769 yards and 56 total touchdowns. A two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Year, Jeanty won the 2024 Maxwell Award (college football player of the year) and Doak Walker Award (best running back in college football).

The consensus top running back available in the 2025 NFL Draft, Jeanty could go as high as No. 4 overall to the New England Patriots. 

With players like Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton entering the league, the NFL’s running back revolution doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.