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Rival coach on Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty: ‘He’s the best back that I’ve seen since Marshall Faulk'

Jeanty leads the country in rushing yards (1,734) and rushing touchdowns (23)

Bob Lundeberg

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty.
Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. / Brian Losness-Imagn Images

San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo has seen many great running backs over the years. 

Niumatalolo, who played quarterback for Hawaii in the late 1980s and spent 16 years as Navy’s head coach (2007-22), believes Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is the best college running back he’s seen this century. 

“I’ve been doing this a long time; he’s the best back that I’ve seen since Marshall Faulk,” the first-year Spartans coach said during Tuesday’s press conference. San Jose State (6-3, 3-2 Mountain West Conference) will host No. 13 Boise State (8-1, 5-0) at 5 p.m. Mountain time Saturday. 

“He does it all. Physical. Can run. Run between the tackles, run outside the tackles, can take it to the house. Can run you over, can make you miss. Durable. He’s got all the intangibles.”

Niumatalolo was a graduate assistant at Hawaii when Faulk starred for San Diego State from 1991-93. During Faulk’s sophomore season, he ran for 300 yards and four touchdowns in a win over the Rainbow Warriors. 

Faulk went No. 2 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and had a legendary pro career for the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. 

Just like Faulk, Jeanty is a complete back who can hurt defenses as a runner and receiver. 

Through nine games, Jeanty leads the country in rushing yards (1,734) and rushing touchdowns (23). For his career, Jeanty has 600 carries for 3,902 yards and 44 touchdowns while catching 73 passes for 817 yards and six scores. 

In the latest FanDuel Heisman Trophy odds, Jeanty is tied with Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel at +360. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the Heisman favorite at -115. 

Niumatalolo said the first step to stopping Jeanty is acknowledging his greatness. 

“Some guys are like ‘eh, it’s just another back, another person,’” Niumatalolo explained. “No, he’s not just another back. He’s really, really good. So all of our attention is going to be on him to make sure we can do our best to try to stop him. There have been nine other teams who have tried that, too, and nobody has succeeded. So we know we have our work cut out for us.

“But there’s also that fine line. Obviously we’re playing Boise State, the No. 1 team in our conference, a top-12 team. We still have to make sure our preparation is pure and focus on the preparation. But (Jeanty) definitely has our attention. We have to try to stop him, and we’re going to do everything within our power to do that.”

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Bob Lundeberg
BOB LUNDEBERG

Bob Lundeberg is a reporter for Boise State Broncos On SI. An Oregon State graduate, Bob has lived in Idaho since 2019 and is an avid hiker and golfer.

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