How Ashton Jeanty went from military bases to unheralded recruit to RB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft

Ashton Jeanty won’t have to wait long to hear his name called once the 2025 NFL Draft begins Thursday. The Boise State running back is one of the best players on the board and is generating buzz as a potential top-10 pick. FanDuel Sportsbook pegs the Las Vegas Raiders (+120), the Jacksonville Jaguars (+150) and the Chicago Bears (+300) as the favorites to select Jeanty. All three pick in the top 10. 

Jeanty’s highlight reel is a symphony of speed, power, elusiveness and big-play ability. In three years at Boise State, Jeanty ran for 4,769 yards and 50 touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry. He finished his career with an astounding 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns and finished second in the Heisman Trophy race.

Though his college career may have indicated he was always destined for stardom, Jeanty’s offer list when he starred at Frisco (Texas) Lone Star mostly consisted of service academies and Ivy League offers, with a few Group of Five and Power Four programs mixed in.

More than his on-field production, fans have fixated on the menacing way that Jeanty stands in the backfield before the snap. While most backs are slightly bent with their hands on their knees, Jeanty stands straight up with his arms at his sides.

Lone Star coach Jeff Rayburn isn’t sure where Jeanty’s stance came from. But given the results, Rayburn wouldn’t change a thing.

“No, he didn’t stand like that,” Rayburn told me last fall. “I’m not sure what the purpose is for him doing it. But when the ball is in his hands, great things happen. He can stand however he wants. He can stand on his head, for all I care, the way he’s running the ball right now.”

Rayburn has had his share of former players star at the next level. Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims is one of the more notable players coached by Rayburn at Lone Star, along with Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton and New Orleans Saints linebacker Jaylan Ford. Jeanty didn’t get the attention that those players did, but Rayburn sees him earning his success through his work ethic.

“I’m just extremely proud,” Rayburn said. “Just to watch him and see the success he’s had there. I think it’s warranted because he’s put in the work and he’s obviously such a talented kid. It’s also kind of mind-blowing to see what he’s doing at that level and being so dominant.

“It looks like he’s doing the same things he was doing in high school. He’s bigger, stronger and faster. People can’t tackle him and people can’t catch him. It’s awesome to see a kid who has worked so hard to have the opportunity for big-time success in college football.”

Lone Star isn’t a secret to college football recruiters. The program in the Dallas-Fort Worth area sees plenty of recruiting traffic through the year.

How did Jeanty fly under the radar? His initial transition to Lone Star was from Italy, where he played in a league on a military base as his father served. When Jeanty reached Frisco, he was part of a loaded team at the Texas 5A level.

“You know how the recruiting landscape is now,” Rayburn said. “If you’re not a big-time guy by your sophomore year, especially at that position, the big-time schools already have their guys locked in. They’ve been recruiting those guys for a while, and I don’t think Ashton was necessarily a late bloomer. He just wasn’t recruited super heavily early on.

“It’s been well-documented, but he moved in right before fall camp of his sophomore year from Italy. He was playing on a base out there. We knew he was a good player back then, but we didn’t know the kind of impact he would have. He was playing on a base against other kids on a base. We saw some talent, but we didn’t know the competition level. That was our 2019 team, when Marvin Mims broke all the records his senior year.”

Jeanty played running back, wide receiver, defensive end, outside linebacker and safety in high school.

“We had two established running backs, and he played a lot of different positions as a sophomore,” Rayburn said. “In his junior year, we played him in the slot because we had another running back in Jaden Nixon who’s rushed for 100 yards in three out of the last four games at Western Michigan. He originally went to Oklahoma State and was a 10.5-second 100-meter dash kid.

“Jaden didn’t have the skill set Ashton had to play in the slot. Ashton was such a fluid receiver and was so great at running routes and getting out of his breaks. He started in the slot and also played running back. When people were looking at his film, they saw the flashes. But they wanted to see more, and to see if he could be a big-time back.”

In 12 games as a senior in the 2021 season, Jeanty totaled 41 touchdowns (31 rushing, 10 receiving) while taking 229 rushes for 1,843 yards (8.0 average).

“That’s what helped our team be the best and get our best guys on the field,” Rayburn said. “In his senior year, he became a bell-cow back for us and toted the rock over and over. At one point, he was leading the country in touchdowns and I had several coaches tell me he was better than what they had committed. But they held the commitment for so long they couldn’t change.

“I think if we had started him at running back his junior year, he’d have been at Texas or Alabama or Oklahoma, or somewhere like that. I tell the same things to the Boise State coaches when they come by to recruit. They agree with me. They definitely found a special one.”

247Sports national scouting analyst Gabe Brooks was the industry’s most vocal Jeanty supporter. He wrote the following on him after tracking his senior season and helping to push him from a mid-three-star to a four-star prospect:

“Boise State commitment Ashton Jeanty’s ascension to four-star status with a 90 grade on 247Sports follows his outstanding senior season. The 5-foot-9, 195-pounder owns a terrific overall athletic profile as a three-sporter who hoops and competes in track and field. Jeanty runs an 11.13-second 100 and has a 23-foot-plus long jump. During his junior basketball season he averaged 8.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals.

“But Jeanty’s senior football season at Frisco (Texas) Lone Star really put him over the top for four-star status. He gained 2,600-plus yards from scrimmage with 1,843 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns, plus 42 catches for 803 yards and 10 scores. Jeanty is comfortable as an every-down back or a full-time slot, and his functional athleticism on the field is a reflection of his layered, multi-sport athletic context.”

Jeanty would have been one of the 2024 transfer portal’s biggest names if he entered this past offseason. While Boise State was in upheaval last year moving on coach Andy Avalos, there was definitely some consideration on Jeanty’s side. When Boise State made the hiring of interim coach Spencer Danielson official, it sealed the deal for Jeanty.

“There’s no doubt that he had plenty of opportunities,” Rayburn said. “He was never in the portal. …”He loves Boise. He loves his teammates and he loves his coaches. He’s such a loyal kid. He’s a military kid, and I think his loyalty goes a long way. He moved around a bunch when he was young, and I think he found his home and wanted to be with the people who showed him love early and took care of him even though there’s lots of money involved and a lot of people reaching out to him and his family and to us trying to get him into the portal. His loyalty and his love for that Boise State team is something special.”

Rayburn still keeps in contact with Jeanty and says his star pupil has handled the national acclaim with grace. 

“He’s handling it just like I thought he would,” Rayburn said. “He’s a dynamic personality. He’s such an easy kid to talk to, and he always has been. He has that big smile and is super sharp. He’s just a kid where, even in high school, he was so much more mature. He could carry on conversations with adults and coaches and he has such an electric personality. People gravitate to him.”