College football has seen some extremely special athletes over the years.
Boise State Broncos running back and Heisman trophy hopeful Ashton Jeanty is right up there stacked up with any of them. Jeanty does not get the same shine that quarterbacks at big time programs like Jalen Milroe and Cam Ward get, or two-way superstars like Travis Hunter receive.
Make no mistake however, he is just as if not more special than any of them. Through just five games for Boise State thus far this season, Jeanty has rushed for an absolutely ludicrous 1,031 yards on 95 carries (over 10 yards per touch) and 16 touchdowns. He is putting up the kind of season that would have been a guaranteed Heisman years ago before quarterbacks put up the kind of numbers they do in 2024.
But Jeanty’s absurd football ability didn’t just happen he says. The most important thing in his life is his faith.
“I like to say that I’m a Christian cleverly disguised as an All-American running back,” Jeanty told the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “I’ve learned that God has blessed me with amazing talents. I’ve just been able to do a lot of great things with it, but at the same time, not losing yourself in it and understanding that my identity is in Christ.”
Jeanty credits his renewed faith that he found over the course of his college career in completely transforming his life and mindset and allows him to perform at his best on the field.
“You don’t have to be perfect to come to God, but all you have to do is trust in Him and have faith in Him, and He will change your life,” he said. “I feel that everything that I’m doing now is because of that. Obviously, I’ve been able to do some great things on the field, but beyond that, He’s changed my life. He’s changed my views, my personality. I felt that I wasn’t really a man before. I was just a boy. But now I feel as I’m a man and a man of God.”
As Jeanty continues to shine on the football field this season, he can be looked at as a shining example of a young man who is filled with faith and is not afraid to openly talk about it.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
