Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty just misses out on Heisman Trophy, but wins fans’ vote

NEW YORK (Idaho Statesman) — Ashton Jeanty narrowly missed out on college football’s top individual prize Saturday night, finishing second to Colorado’s Travis Hunter in Heisman Trophy voting.

Jeanty received 2,017 points and 309 first-place votes, coming in behind Hunter’s total of 2,231 points, with 552 first-place votes. It was the closest Heisman race since 2009, with just 214 points of separation.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished third with 516 points, while Miami QB Cam Wad rounded out the finalists with 229 points.

Jeanty’s second-place finish was the highest in history for a Boise State player. Former quarterback Kellen Moore finished fourth in the 2010 voting when he was a finalist. He also placed among the top 10 in 2009 and 2011.

“Honestly, I knew that I would be here, standing right in front of you guys,” Jeanty told ESPN’s Holly Rowe during an interview at the ceremony. “It’s been a blessing to have this opportunity, and it all comes from the hard work that I put in each and every single day.”

Hunter, who plays both cornerback and wide receiver for the Buffaloes, entered Saturday night as a heavy favorite for the trophy. Hunter ended the regular season sixth in the nation for receiving yards (1,152), fourth in receptions (92) and second in receiving touchdowns (14). Defensively, he had 32 tackles, four interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a forced fumble in 2024 — and many analysts pointed to Hunter’s average defensive stats as proof that quarterbacks avoided throwing in his direction.

While those stats might not scream Heisman, Hunter’s ability to play both sides of the ball and accumulate a snap count of 1,380 — 382 more than the next-closest player — contributed to his campaign.

Despite not winning the Heisman, it was still a fruitful trip to New York City for Jeanty. On Thursday night, he was honored with the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back, and also won the Maxwell Award, given to the most outstanding player in college football. Division I coaches, sports information directors, members of the Maxwell Football Club and media members vote on the Maxwell Award.

The Heisman Trophy is voted on primarily by media members, as well as living Heisman winners, and there’s one vote that comes from the fans. Jeanty won that fan vote, meaning more college football watchers selected him than any of the other finalists.

Boise State fans no doubt are disappointed the Heisman is heading to Colorado, but Jeanty said earlier this week he already achieved everything he wanted to this season.

“I wanted to be one of the best running backs in the nation,” Jeanty said on a Zoom call with local media on Thursday. “I wanted to win a championship, wanted to go to the college football playoffs, wanted to be a Heisman award finalist. I wanted to leave a legacy that was bigger than just football at wherever I’m at.”

The junior running back went a perfect four-for-four. Jeanty leads the nation in rushing yards (2,497) and rushing touchdowns (29), and his being the Doak Walker recipient cemented his status as the top running back in the nation.

Those efforts led the Broncos to a 12-1 record, including being unbeaten in conference play, and last weekend they captured a second consecutive Mountain West championship with a 21-7 victory over UNLV.

That paved the way for Boise State to not only make the College Football Playoff, but also claim the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

The 5-foot-9, 210-pound junior’s Heisman campaign started all the way back in August, when Boise State released a section on its athletics website promoting him. Some might have seen it as a bold move, but Jeanty backed it all up with a six-touchdown, 267-yard performance against Georgia Southern in the first game of the season.

On the first of those touchdowns — a 77-yard house call on his second carry of the season — Jeanty hit the Heisman pose in the end zone.

“I just told myself whenever I made a big play, some type of play that proves that I’m that caliber player, you knew I was going to pull that (celebration) out,” Jeanty said after the game.

He continued to make those type of plays throughout the season, producing six 200-plus yard running games and failing to score a touchdown in just one game. That game was against Portland State, in which Jeanty rushed for 127 yards on 11 carries — his lowest single-game total — in the first half. He didn’t play in the second half of the blowout win.

In last week’s Mountain West title game, Jeanty rushed for 209 yards on 32 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown that broke open the game just before halftime.