Top NFL Draft Outlook Ashton Janti had one of the most dominant seasons in Boise's college football history of this past season.
The 21-year-old running back ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging an astonishing seven yards per attempt, finishing the season with the second yards in one season in college football history. Only Barry Sanders had more yards in one season.
Jeanty running backs coach James Montgomery recently spoke with Fox News Digital to discuss the player's historic season.
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The Boise state Broncos smiles on stage as Ashton Janti runs through Ashton Janti on stage before the Heisman Trophy presentation on December 14th, 2024. (Lucas Boland-Immagn image)
He exploded into the national scene, and while etching himself into the record book during his junior season in 2024, Jeanti saw similar success as a sophomore.
However, Montgomery said that Jeanti's plan to move on to his sophomore season is to make him part of the “two-headed monster.”
“I thought I was going to be two monsters when I got into the '23 season, so it was a bit crazy, but George (Holani) got injured on his second play.
Jeanti ran for 1,347 yards with a 14-yard touchdown, catching 43 passes for 569 yards in his sophomore season and 43 passes for 569 yards.
Jeanty took over as the lead role, but Holani was also productive. He ran for 748 yards and seven touchdowns. Following that season, Holani signed with the Seattle Seahawks and is currently on their practice squad.
With Holani in the NFL, it was Jeanty who carries the luggage based on his strong sophomore season.
Montgomery saw the start of a special third year permeate the spring ball.
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The Boise State Broncos run Ashton Janti against the Nittany Lions at Pennsylvania State University during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 31, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas-Immagn image)
“It was like the 'light bulb moment' when I was playing the duo on Springball last year, and I saw how he pushed the hole and how he moved.
“And I always say you fall off the table and you find a shot because you read the first playside backer. And he fell off the table, found a shot, reached the free hat, missed him, turned to me with a big smile, I knew exactly, Yep, the light bulb is really on,” Montgomery said with a smile.
Montgomery said he and Jeanti peeled off the layers during the spring and went from soccer 101, 201 and 301.
Jeanty continued to train as hard as ever, improving her mental understanding of the game. Montgomery said Jeanti called his offseason preparation “dark mode.”
“He really didn't do much in the spring, but there was no summer in that season, but he just works. We have one of the most difficult training in the country. We ran the upper deck and ran all the decks from last summer with weightbeds, so it was kind of crazy to see him do it.
“If you just saw him in practice, he's lined up first with all the drills we do, whether it's an offense or a special team, just the amount of effort he brings every day. We didn't take too much live action on the spring ball, so we probably tried not to touch the camp as he was about to greet couple pop.
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Boise State runs Ashton Jeanti on December 6, 2024, celebrates Boise, Idaho, after acquiring an offensive player in the Mountain West Championship against UNLV. (AP Photo/Steve Connor, File)
And Montgomery was right. Jeanti didn't need it.
In Boise State's opening game against Georgia Southern last season, Jeanti scored 20 carries for 267 yards and six touchdowns, creating stats that he could find in the video game with a 56-45 victory.
Montgomery knew that immediately after that performance there would be an opportunity for Jeanti to do something special.
“When we started week one at 267 (yards), we knew we had the opportunity to do something really special. So for me, I had to block out the noise on the outside. I couldn't be on Twitter.
“In the beginning, 2,000 yards were our goal. Once we started to surpass that and started to get closer to it, we just wanted to keep pushing. Sometimes in the game, I always say, 'We're not finished, I'll just keep going,' so I can always say a bit. In the game, “Hey, we had to keep going, it's not over.”
That approach worked for Jeanty and Boise State Broncos.
Jeanty led offensively, making the Broncos 12-2 and won the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos were third-place seed in the college football playoffs, and arrived at the Fiesta Bowl, where they lost to Pennsylvania 31-14.
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Ashton Janti attempts to break past Pennsylvania State linebacker Dominique DeLuca at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 31, 2024. (image)
Jeanti's incredible season almost landed him the Heisman Trophy. Colorado's Travis Hunter has 552 first-place votes, beating Jeanti's 309, making it the closest vote since 2009.
Montgomery doesn't say whether Jeanti should have beaten Heissmann.
“I'm not really commenting too much on it, because there's a strong bias in that,” Montgomery said with a laugh.
“I was able to work with him every day. I know how good he is. I know what he can do for our program and he promoted us so that we could even get to where we were working at the end of the year. He was able to play and play at a very high level on offense and defense.
Heissman's conversation between Jeanti and Hunter was furious throughout the season and was heatedly debated until the moment it was announced.
Montgomery says that Jeanti's running back style made him very successful, reminiscent of the Philadelphia Eagles legend.
“I think it was Brian Westbrook at the time,” Montgomery said. “But I think he's a blend of a lot of people. If he was 5'10 215 (lbs), he would probably say (Tomlinson's in Radang) a lot.
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During the VRBO Fiesta Bowl on December 31, 2024, the Boise State Broncos will run as Ashton Jeanti passes Coby King, the Nittany Lions linebacker, Pennsylvania. (image)
If you want Jeanty to land on a particular team or playstyle in the NFL Draft, Montgomery is sure to thrive which team chose him.
“As a coach and as his coach, you obviously want him to be highly selected, but the other part is that you want him to go to a situation where he has a really good (offensive line). So you might want him to go to the top 10, but maybe he's going to go to the better O-line.
“I meant the scheme and I did a pretty pro-style attack here and did all the schemes, like I did all the schemes, zones, outer zones, powers, counters, toscracks, etc. He knows how to set them all.
As Jeanty moves into the NFL, he leaves a big hole in Boise State's offense and team. Montgomery knows there's no replacement for him.
“He is the leader of my room, the captain of my team, and he is going to get off here as one of the greatest greats of all time. It's not trying to trade him, he's trying to build the best room possible. It's that he was around him around me, around my young people.
“It's not really pressure for them because they're a big buddy of them and want to be like him. They want to get all the shots and keep the tradition alive. I don't think we're going to replicate anything because we're obviously a special talent.”
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The Boise State Broncos run Ashton Janti after the Fiesta Bowl, which took on the Nittany Lions, Pennsylvania on December 31, 2024. (Mark J. Rebilas-Immagn image)
Montgomery not only misses the player, but also the person's jeanty.
“He's a really fun and wonderful kid, but what I'm missing is the ability to enjoy. He plays the music before he dances before the snap, gets all of that, then just watch two seconds before Snaploc comes back,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery and other football will find a team that will choose “special talent” to be Jeanti on Thursday, April 24th in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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