How good is Jeanty? Penn State players sound off: ‘He should have won the Heisman’

Anyone who’s watched an iota of college football this year knows that Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty is arguably the biggest offensive threat in the country.

The Heisman Trophy runner-up entered bowl season tied for the most rushing touchdowns in the nation (29), and he’s just 132 yards from surpassing Barry Sanders’ 1988 single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards.

Naturally, he’ll be the main focus for Penn State (12-2) on Tuesday as it takes on Boise State (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

“His toughness, his grit, he just carries the ball so many times,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said earlier this week. “In today’s game, that just doesn’t happen anymore. Just so much respect for him. ... To me, it’s about finding a way to do the thing that most people can’t do, which is get him on the ground.”

What do the guys who’ll be playing against Jeanty think? The Idaho Statesman asked several Penn State players on offense and defense to evaluate the junior superstar.

Linebacker Kobe King

Whom Jeanty reminds him of: “(Penn State running backs) Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, those two guys prepare me for every back I’ve seen: big, small, fast, strong. But I would say definitely comparing him with a back that I’ve played through my experience: Kaytron Allen, just from him being a guy that’s hard to tackle, being a guy with a chip on his shoulder. He tries to run you over, though, I would say Jeanty doesn’t really try to murder you; he will lower his shoulder, but he doesn’t want to murder you.”

“And I would say (former Michigan and current Los Angeles Rams running back) Blake Corum from 2022. I would say definitely he reminds me of that year, just because Blake Corum is a strong guy. Obviously, Jeanty is a patient running back, too, and Corum has a lot of patience in there too. And I think without Corum, Michigan had answers, but without him, it probably would have been tougher. But Jeanty is the head of the snake.”

On how to stop Jeanty: “Just tackling and depending on the film. I’ve seen defensive guys making improper tackling. And I will also say the pursuit of the ball is one thing. Me being a middle linebacker, I’m always running sideline to sideline. And you know, if I’ve got guys running sideline to sideline with me, then we’re good. And I definitely didn’t see a lot of that on film.”

Linebacker DaKaari Nelson

On how to stop Jeanty: “It all starts up front, great defense and everybody’s doing the job and everybody running.”

Whom Jeanty reminds him of: “With his base and the way he runs, I will say kind of like a Blake Corum. But other than that he’s himself.”

Linebacker Dominic DeLuca

On how to stop Jeanty: “I would just say wrapping up and running through the pocket, and also getting all 11 guys at the football. He’s a great back, just having that many yards after contact is crazy.”

Jeanty leads the nation with nearly 1,900 rushing yards after contact.

Offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane

What he thinks about Jeanty: “I’ll flat-out say it: He should have won the Heisman. He’s a baller. I personally haven’t seen anybody play the way he plays. So obviously, gonna be a good game for him. We’ll see how he plays.”

On trying to stop Jeanty: “I think our defense has been doing a great job all season tackling, you know, and then they’re one of the best defenses in the country. So, yeah, I’ve got faith in them.”

Offensive lineman Sal Wormley

What he thinks about Jeanty: “His stats speak for themselves. After watching the film, too, that’s a guy you’ve really got to wrap up. You can’t just throw a shoulder; you can’t just aim for the knee. You’ve got to wrap that man up in game time. That’s a generational player right there.”

Running back Nicholas Singleton

What makes Jeanty so good: “He’s obviously good, he was a Heisman candidate. He’s been a really good running back. Very balanced. Talk about the yards after contact, really good. It’s hard to bring him down. You ain’t going to bring him down with one person. You ain’t going to go and wrap him up and tackle him and all that. So he’s been really good, really good with speed and balance.”

Whom Jeanty reminds him of: “In the league, probably like Alvin Kamara. He’s got great balance and is very fast to catch the ball out of the backfield.”