The ‘Power’ conferences have long dictated and gate-kept the entry to the limited playoff format for teams not quite sitting at their level. Naturally, teams like Boise State Broncos, who do not sit in a ‘power’ conference, would find it quite hard for them to make the cut. Well, the statement is quite right in itself. But in 2024, Boise State showed why they belong on the big table. Thanks to their ace running back, Ashton Jeanty.
This was one of those seasons for Ashton Jeanty when even opponent coaches were seen muttering, ‘how did he do that’. This was the level of influence as Jeanty ran, and ran, and ran. He ran well, and he showed analysts that records can be broken, legacies can be made, and history books can be rewritten. The accolades?
Well, even in his first game, he broke a 45-year-old record of Boise State. He ran for 267 yards and 6 touchdowns against Georgia Southern. Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, being named unanimous All-American, you name it, and Jeanty won all that in the 2024 season. He accumulated 2,601 rushing yards, scored 29 touchdowns, and led his team to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, earning a bye game. However, every story must end somewhere, and the Jeanty’s dance with the Broncos has ended. The question now is: Can Boise State cope without Jeanty? Spencer Mclaughlin of ‘Locked in College Football’ believes it would take some great initiative from them to wade through his absence.
“They (Boise State) have to be able to be more successful running the football and all of a sudden they’re going to try to do that without one of the best college running backs we have seen in the last 10 15 years who just had one of the best seasons ever in the history of the sport; that’s a tall order, but one of those two things is going to happen for Boise State Maddux Madson (QB) has to become an even better version of himself, I think that, frankly is more likely than the other thing I’m suggesting. Which is Malik Sherrod goes out and stays healthy the entire year and runs for over 1500 yards, that’d just be asking a lot from that guy”. For Context, hear this.
Malik Sherrod has come to the Broncos from Fresno State Bulldogs on a transfer. The player will be filling the place vacated by Jeanty in what would be his last season of eligibility. However, the concern of his injuries is quite real. In the previous season only, the player suffered early in the season as he suffered multiple injuries in the season and in the practice too. This saw him missing out on the remainder of Fresno State’s games. The concern for Spencer Danielson at his QB room is also fair, and here’s why.
There is the concern that Maddux Madsen, their quarterback, would not provide enough. Sure, he achieved a 62.4% pass completion rate and accumulated 3,018 yards in that, with 221 rushing yards, too. But we saw him taking 3 sacks in the Penn State game; that was probably the biggest game of the season. They were knocked out of the playoffs by 31-14. So, overall, it seems the concern is quite real, too. Add to that news, there’s other concerning news about Boise State’s beloved Ashton Jeanty…
Troubling news for Ashton Jeanty
Ashton Jeanty is undoubtedly the best in the business in his current position. However, there are still some issues that are concerning for teams looking at him. For instance, the Las Vegas Raiders are looking at the prospect closely. Led by their minority owner Tom Brady and the owner Mark Davis. Pete Carroll has revitalized his offensive staff and is looking at some good prospects to fit his schemes. However, there’s a slight catch.
In a recent video of the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast. Hondo Carpenter expressed some concerns about the player being too susceptible to fumbles. And the Raiders were considering Jeanty initially. The concerns were mainly because of his measurements at the NFL Combine. Especially the measurements from wrist to shoulder that play a major role in ball security. A former executive of an NFC team also highlighted some of these issues. And suggested some relation with fumbling the ball due to his small measurements. The verdict?
Well, Jeanty was measured to be around 5 feet and 8 1/2 inches tall and weighed around 211 lbs in the combine. His hand size was measured to be 9 and a quarter inches. And his wing span was 78 and three-fourth inches. Apart from that, his NFL Combine performance wasn’t quite spectacular. He made the 10-yard split in 1.7 seconds (17th) and 40-yard dash in 4.77 seconds (15th). Surely, the combine will start some discussions around his availability and his draft stock. Although his overall talent has the potential to surpass all that.
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