Ashton Jeanty's First Boise State Card A Landmark for NIL

Ashton Jeanty may have come up short in the Heisman Trophy voting. Still, he can break Barry Sanders' all-time single-season college rushing record. Jeanty's first trading card was a landmark product at the dawn of Name, Image, and Likeness legislation.

Dec 6, 2024; Boise, ID, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the first half against the UNLV Rebels at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-Imagn Images / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Ashton Jeanty's first Boise State card was released in 2022. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation made it legal for NCAA athletes to receive payment without jeopardizing their amateur status.

The card was released by ONIT, a trading card company specializing in college cards and including every player on a team. In 2022, Boise State football became the first team to sign with ONIT. At the time, it was the largest card venture with any school, according to a Boise State press release.

Image Courtesy of eBay

Jacksons Food Stores, a food store chain with more than 300 locations, paid for the licensing deal. Jacksons and ONIT agreed that 10,000 packs would be produced for the entire football team, including walk-ons. Packs retailed for $12.99, with every player getting paid an equal cut, except for 10 players with autographed cards who were paid more. Every pack contained 14 cards.

Jeanty, a true freshman, did not have an autographed version. His card is nondescript, showing him breaking a tackle. They couldn't have known it then, but ONIT created what would be the truest rookie card of a future Heisman Trophy runner-up.

Dec 14, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty poses for a photo during a press conference before the 2024 Heisman Trophy Presentation. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

There are 105 cards in the set, and assuming that an equal amount of cards was made for each player, then there are about 1,333 cards for each player. While not rare, a print run of 1,333 would make Jeanty's first rookie card a short print.

Current prices on eBay are reflecting Jeanty's popularity. His raw 2022 ONIT cards are selling for $35 - $50. They were selling for more in months prior due to anticipation that he would win the Heisman Trophy. His 2022 ONIT card dipped when he came in second to Travis Hunter.

In June 2024, ONIT boasted of reaching NIL deals with 4,545 student-athletes. The company got its start with the Boise State football team. While Jeanty may have come up short in the Heisman voting, he has a chance to showcase his skills when Boise State plays the winner of Penn State and Southern Methodist in the College Football Playoff.

There have been many crimes against humanity in our species’ history

Ashton Jeanty not winning the 2024 Heisman might be the worst of them all pic.twitter.com/cxLTPKQTyn

— Nick Perkins (@NickyPerkss) December 15, 2024