To understand Ashton Janty’s story, we need to make a few things clear. Giunty’s historic season at Boise State may be a miracle, or written in the stars. There’s no reason a kid born in Jacksonville, Florida, raised in Italy, and raised in Texas should have to live in Boise, Idaho. At a time when transfers can happen instantly and NIL deals can double or triple, there’s no reason for a player like that to stay.
This is a running back who put together one of the great seasons in the history of the sport. Through six games, he has already gained 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns, giving him a serious chance to challenge Barry Sanders’ all-time rushing and touchdown records. If Giunty had moved, 247 Sports would have listed him as the top overall transfer in the portal.
His game is legendary. Jeanty’s menacing, upright posture in the backfield has sometimes been compared to horror villain Michael Myers. His cutting and explosiveness rival Sanders and Reggie Bush. He is comfortable running zone and gap schemes. Giunty forced 56 tackles, the most in college football. There are no holes.
“He’s tough to guard because he’s so versatile,” Wyoming coach Jay Sobel said. “He can catch the ball, move him, get him out of the backfield, throw to him. That’s the gist of it. The next part is, he’s a really good player and you “You have to tackle that guy.” You can scheme things up as much as you want, and they throw the ball, and you have to tackle him. ”
Many schools tried to lure Genty with dollar signs. Some may have given him the national exposure he wasn’t promised at Boise State. Ultimately, Boise State threaded the needle at the perfect moment in college football history, creating a once-in-a-lifetime perfect storm. With any luck, Gentil hopes it will turn into an avalanche.
“I hope my decision shines a light on college football players at different schools,” Giunty told CBS Sports. “What I wanted was to lead by example and show people that you can be different. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.”
From Italy with love
For a kid who was a citizen of the world, Boise, Idaho didn’t get much attention. Gianti played soccer on an Italian military base in middle school, then moved to Frisco, Texas, hungry for soccer, before his sophomore year of high school. On a stacked high school team, he played as a running back, receiver, defensive end, outside linebacker, and safety to get on the field.
Giunty earned all-district honors as a wide receiver as a junior. He was tasked with filling in for Denver Broncos receiver Marvin Mims, but was removed from primary running back snaps by current Western Michigan running back Jaden Nixon.
Lone Star High School coach Jeff Rayburn told 247Sports, “If you don’t have a player by your sophomore year, especially at that position, the big schools have already locked you in.” “They’ve been recruiting them for a while, but I don’t think Ashton was necessarily a late bloomer. He just wasn’t recruited very heavily early on.”
Despite the mix on tape, Boise State made Giunty an offer before his senior year at Frisco (Texas) Lone Star, before he took over as a full-time running back. This was by far his biggest offer, but he also had offers from Kansas State and California. He knew a little about Kellen Moore and the Blue Lawn from watching the highlights, but he certainly didn’t know much about the place.
“If you asked me when I was younger where the state of Idaho was, I couldn’t even tell you,” Giunty said. “I’ve traveled all over the world since my dad was in the military, so I feel like I never saw myself in Idaho.”
247 sports
What attracted Jeanty was the consistency in the hiring process. Remember, this is a military brat. Loyalty and reliability are important virtues. Additionally, Boise State has talent at running back. Since 2012, four running backs have been drafted into the NFL by the program, including Frisco native Jay Ajayi.
247Sports was the only recruiting service to promote Giunty after he racked up 2,653 all-purpose yards and 41 touchdowns, but few others joined him.
For Danielson, it was a special moment when he realized what Boise State had. Danielson worked as the defensive coordinator during the Broncos’ second spring scrimmage, when Giunty was only 17 years old and playing against first-team defensemen. Danielson was in the coaches box and called his staff a short-yardage defense. Giunty, as usual, made one cut, spun the linebacker, and took the ball 70 yards to the house.
“I remember being in the headset and being like, ‘Watch out for Deuce, he’s going to be big,'” Danielson said. “Everyone else was like, ‘Oh, we’ve been watching that for a while. We’re just starting to see his ceiling. This guy’s going to be big.'”
Take Janti outside
After two seasons, Giunty was the Mountain West’s biggest star. He won Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 and threw for over 2,100 yards and 21 touchdowns in two seasons. As a sophomore, he exploded as a pass catcher, catching 43 passes for 569 yards and five additional touchdowns.
“I’m not beating a dead horse, but there’s cheating and a lot of things going on in college football,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “But Ashton wanted to be at Boise State. He wanted to be here.”
From a purely financial standpoint, Boise State couldn’t compete. Boise State’s Horseshoe Collective is very competitive, especially at the Group of 5 level, but major SEC and Big Ten schools also participate.
“He was honest with us,” Boise State athletic director Jeremiah Dickey told CBS Sports. “He made it clear that he wanted to be a Bronco first and foremost. We have a lot of student-athletes that we’ve been able to retain. But it’s not just that we’re throwing money at the problem, we’re also being creative. ” how we approach it. ”
Usachi
The Horseshoe Collective was able to reach enough numbers to at least set a baseline. Jeanty has enhanced it with branded apparel, endorsements, and many other opportunities. Boise State has also aggressively touted him at every opportunity.
When the Mountain West decided to hold its conference media day in Las Vegas this July, the league chose the Circa Resort near downtown. There’s only one problem. The facility must be 21 years of age or older. Jeanty will be 20 years old until December. It doesn’t matter that he’s the conference’s biggest star, Boise State is just out of luck.
While several national journalists flew into Las Vegas for Big 12 and Mountain West events, Boise State Legislature didn’t sit back and take action. The Athletic staff contacted Bellagio and rented a small room in the back, far from the glitz and glamor of the Strip. After several conversations with reporters for nearly 90 minutes, Jeanty was taken to the Golden Gate Hotel, one building away from Circa downtown. So, in a random hotel room, Jeanty conducted more interviews. While many athletic departments hide their star players from interviews, Boise State was rattled.
“If they don’t come to us, we go to them,” Dickey said.
Ironically, the Bellagio hallways were filled with autograph-seeking sports fans. Giunty’s media session was spot on as USA Basketball leaves for a pre-Olympic exhibition in Las Vegas. Spectators lined the hall to watch the star players pass by. They didn’t pay much attention to the small, stocky 20-year-old, wearing a backwards hat and heading for the exit.
If only they knew.
Taking Boise State to new heights
Giunty may not have known anything about Boise, Idaho when he decided to play for the Broncos, but his life has changed since then. He lives with close friends from the football team and has a dog. For Halloween, he drew comparisons to Michael Myers and dressed up as the villain. In many ways, Boise State is the stability that Gianti, a transient military brat, never quite had.
Still, to keep Giunty in Boise, another star player had to come on board. It’s the College Football Playoff. In 2024, the CFP will expand to 12 teams, guaranteeing a spot in the Group of 5 teams for the first time ever.
“Just knowing I had a chance to play in the College Football Playoff definitely made it a lot easier,” Giunty said. “It’s not just about the so-called powerhouse schools. Still, our path may not be as difficult as other schools. It’s huge to have that opportunity.”
Quietly, a few key players from Group 5’s other top contenders remained unmoved. UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III had options. So was Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter. Texas State running back Ismail Mahdi and Memphis quarterback Seth Hennigan were looking for shots. They could end a good season with a serious national championship game without risking changing things up and starting over.
“You see the level of hope, it’s contagious,” Dickey said. “It’s creating momentum for other members of the department, and that’s powerful. All of a sudden, you can be part of something that we know is extremely valuable from a brand, from a department perspective, from an organizational perspective. I think every AD in Group of Five feels the same way about having that seat in Group of Five. It allows us to tell a different story and take it to the next level. You can get support.”
On Friday night, Boise State will travel to take on UNLV in a game with significant implications for the College Football Playoff. The Broncos are considered the consensus favorite to play this field. Their only loss was a crushing loss to No. 1 Oregon, and they have won all other games by double digits. UNLV is probably Boise State’s top challenger in Group 5 overall.
But for Jeanty, this moment is the best-case scenario. The junior is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race, competing for the lead with Colorado athlete Travis Hunter. Boise State is enjoying its best team success in over a decade. Everything will go according to plan.
“I definitely think it’s going to change the trajectory of college football,” Giunty said in July, before playing a snap or breaking a tackle. “People will understand, ‘Hey, I’m at a winning program. I have just as much of a chance here as I did at Alabama or LSU. I definitely think things are going to change a lot.’
There are other schools where Giunty could compete for the Heisman Trophy and a spot in the College Football Playoff. But at Boise State, it means a little more. The program is back on the national stage for the first time in more than a decade. Ultimately, Boise State may be able to offer Gianti something that no one else can: the chance to leave a legacy. A chance to own a home.
“He chose to stay at Boise State because it’s different,” Danielson said. “He knows long term, Ashton Giunty will make Boise, Idaho his home for as long as he wants. This is a place Ashton loves.”
