Bronco Breakdown: A Heisman hopeful leads one of Boise State’s deepest position groups

Editor’s note: This is the second installment in a series breaking down Boise State’s likely starters and the top players in the Mountain West at each position. Up next: wide receivers.

The hype swirling around Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is picking up steam by the day.

ESPN “College GameDay” host Rece Davis recently called him one of the top running backs in the nation during an interview with Boise State coach Spencer Danielson.

“Even before anybody in the country knew about him, he was giving our defense absolute fits,” Danielson told Davis. “He was a grown man when he stepped on campus.”

NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid already has Jeanty as his top running back for the 2025 draft. Last week, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl Jim Nagy posted a whole Twitter thread celebrating Jeanty’s considerable talents and said he hopes Heisman Trophy voters give him “proper consideration” this fall.

Jeanty was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year last season after posting 1,347 rushing yards, which ranks No. 7 all-time at Boise State. He also led the nation in yards after contact, ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West with 19 total touchdowns and finished his sophomore campaign as the Broncos’ second-leading receiver, with 43 catches for 569 yards and five touchdowns.

He certainly seems like the most NFL-ready running back at Boise State since Jay Ajayi, who posted 1,425 rushing yards in 2013 and a program-record 1,823 in 2014. Jeanty has a chance to threaten that record this year if he stays healthy, especially after former Bronco George Holani exhausted his eligibility last season and signed a free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks in April.

Although Jeanty seems poised to have a special season, he’s a long shot to win the Heisman Trophy for a couple of reasons, beginning with the fact that he’s not a quarterback in one of college football’s four power conferences: the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten. Seven of the past eight winners fit that description.

Boise State has had just one Heisman finalist in program history: former quarterback Kellen Moore, who finished No. 4 in the voting in 2010. Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton won it that year. Moore also finished No. 7 in the voting in 2009 and No. 8 in 2011.

Former Boise State running back Ian Johnson finished No. 8 in the voting in 2006, but he wasn’t a finalist.

Boise State is doing its part to help get Jeanty’s campaign off the ground. The school has created a logo featuring his likeness with the word “Hei2man” underneath, a nod to his jersey number. The program handed out T-shirts with the logo on them at the spring game in April.

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Another reason Jeanty is a long shot to win college football’s most coveted award is that running back is probably Boise State’s deepest position, which means a lot of young, talented backs could see snaps — even though someone as great as Jeanty certainly merits as many touches as the Broncos can get him.

Sophomore Jambres “Breezy” Dubar posted 335 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards a carry last season, and will be expected to build on that this year.

The Broncos’ coaches are also excited about freshman Sire Gaines, who enrolled early this year and looked explosive in the spring game. His first carry went for 27 yards, and he finished the game averaging 9 yards per carry, while also catching three passes for 18 yards.

Speedy freshman Dylan Riley joined the team this summer. He can play in four games and still retain his redshirt year. The Broncos also have a pair of veterans in fullback Tyler Crowe and former wide receiver Kaden Dudley.

Bronco Breakdown: Boise State is in search of its fourth starting QB in three seasons

Projected depth chart

Starter: Ashton Jeanty, Jr., 5-9, 215, Lone Star High, Jacksonville, Florida

Backup: Jambres Dubar, So., 6-0, 211, Anna (Texas) High

Sleeper: Sire Gaines, Fr., 6-0, 208, Orange Vista High, Perris, California

Mountain West RBs to watch

Marquez Cooper, San Diego State — The fifth-year senior joined the Aztecs this year after three seasons at Kent State — where he played for their new coach, Sean Lewis — and one season at Ball State. He was a three-time All-MAC selection, earning first-team honors in 2022 and second-team in 2021 and 2023. He has posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons and enters his final season of eligibility with 3,856 career rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns.

Harrison Waylee, Wyoming — The senior transferred to Wyoming last year after three seasons at Northern Illinois, where he was named an All-American and was on the Doak Walker Award watch list in 2022. He started nine games for the Cowboys last season and earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors with a team-high 947 rushing yards, which ranked No. 6 in the conference.

Malik Sherrod, Fresno State — The senior started nine games last season and ranked No. 4 in the Mountain West with 966 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, despite missing time with injuries. He also caught 44 passes and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against Boise State.

Rahsul Faison, Utah State — The senior was a pleasant surprise after joining the Aggies last season following a stint at Snow Junior College. He posted 736 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, averaged 6.2 yards a carry, forced 37 missed tackles and created 443 yards after contact. Faison should be the Aggies’ featured back.

Dylan Carson, Air Force — The Falcons routinely have one of the top rushing attacks in the nation, a result of their triple-option scheme. That lends itself to producing one of the top running backs in the Mountain West, but the academy is facing some turnover. The team’s top three rushers from last season are gone. Carson is the favorite to step into the spotlight after he posted 493 yards last year, 132 of which came against Boise State in his first career start.