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Ashton Jeanty has been an absolute beast during one of the most impressive seasons a running back has had in college football history, and he could potentially break the all-time rushing record when everything is said and done. Barry Sanders set the mark to beat back in 1988, and he made it clear he’s rooting for the RB as some fans attempt to minimize what the Boise State superstar has achieved.
In 2023, Ashton Jeanty posted a respectable 1,347 rushing yards during his second season at Boise State, which was good enough for 11th-best in the country (his 14 TDs on the ground put him in a tie for 15th in that category).
It seemed safe to assume there was room for improvement heading into his junior campaign, but there weren’t many people who predicted he’d emerge as the most dominant running back college football has to offer during one of the most absurdly impressive seasons in recent memory.
The Broncos had already clinched their spot in the Mountain West Conference Championship by the time they wrapped up the regular season against Oregon State, and Jeanty heads into Friday night’s showdown with UNLV with 2,288 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns while leading the nation in both of those categories.
As things currently stand, only four players have recorded more yards than he has in a single season, and the 2,628 the legendary Barry Sanders racked up at Oklahoma State in 1988 still remains the mark to beat.
Jeanty has averaged 190.7 yards per game, which means he’s on pace to set the mark to beat when you consider he’ll have at least two games to pass Sanders (and possibly more if the bowl-eligible Broncos end up earning a spot in the College Football Playoff).
Many members of the “Well, Ackshually” Crowd have been quick to note Sanders only needed 11 games to set the record while averaging 243.8 per contest during a time when the 222 yards he recorded in the Holiday Bowl weren’t officially added to his regular season total (the NCAA declined to retroactively adjust stats when it decided to start tabulating bowl game performances in the final count in 2002).
However, Sanders doesn’t seem too bothered by that technicality based on the message he sent to Jeanty ahead of the clash for the Mountain West title, as he essentially told the haters in his corner to pipe down while throwing his support behind the RB.
Hey @AshtonJeanty2 – Wishing you luck tonight.
My fans can gripe, but records are made to be broken & I am rooting for you. I love seeing all these @NFL and @NCAA #RBs showing the value of the position. #RunTheRock pic.twitter.com/bk0NtPbAL0— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) December 6, 2024
What a guy.