Boise State Broncos ON SI

Heisman Trophy odds: Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty separate from the pack

Jeanty leads the country in rushing yards (1,893) and rushing touchdowns (26)

Bob Lundeberg

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

As Boise State chases a College Football Playoff bid, Ashton Jeanty remains in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race. 

Jeanty has the second-best Heisman odds in the latest update from FanDuel. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is the favorite at -400, followed by Jeanty (+400), Miami quarterback Cam Ward (+1400), Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (+3000) and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (+3500).

In last week’s 42-21 victory over San Jose State, Jeanty ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. The junior broke the Boise State single-season rushing record on a 36-yard third-quarter touchdown run. 

Jeanty leads the country in rushing yards (1,893) and rushing touchdowns (26). He still has a chance to break Barry Sanders’ FBS single-season records of 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns. 

Over the last few weeks, Jeanty has been doing more damage in the second half of games. He had 102 yards and two touchdowns after halftime against the Spartans.

“We believe in wearing a defense down,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “That’s running the football, it could be in the pass game. We want to consistently be on the attack from snap one to whenever the clock says zero.

“That’s easy to say, but what’s common is you kind of scratch what you go into the game with. ‘Ah, that just doesn’t work. The defense is doing something different. We’re going to go away from it.’ Coach (Dirk) Koetter does such a good job of, yes making in-game adjustments, but staying true to our game plan. … And you can see it start to wear down a defense, especially when we start getting to the fourth quarter.”

Jeanty is widely projected to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Hunter is a two-way star who has 74 catches for 911 yards and nine touchdowns. He also has three interceptions and a forced fumble on defense. 

Colorado (8-2), ranked No. 16 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, has a road game at Kansas this week. The Jayhawks (4-6) are coming off an upset win at No. 14 BYU. 

No. 12 Boise State (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West) plays at Wyoming (2-8, 2-4) this Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium. 

The Broncos moved ahead of BYU in the latest CFP rankings, putting them in position to secure a first-round bye. The four highest-ranked conference champions receive a bye in the new 12-team CFP format. 

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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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