The Boise State Broncos face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions in a Fiesta Bowl that marks the culmination of a historic season, and all eyes will be on the Broncos’ superstar running back, Ashton Jeanty.
A player with multiple opportunities to leave for bigger programs, Jeanty stuck around with Boise State and has the Broncos in a position to be the first Group of Five team to win a College Football Playoff game. Ahead of the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson raved about his star running back.
Spencer Danielson Raves About Boise State Running Back Ashton Jeanty
After Penn State head coach James Franklin called Boise State’s star running back a “beast” ahead of the Fiesta Bowl, Danielson echoed his opponent’s sentiments, talking about what makes Jeanty special.
“I’ve been very open about this, just to make sure people see behind the veil,” Danielson said. “How great of a man [Jeanty] is, how hard he works. That’s what he’s done since he was a 17-year-old early enrollee freshman doing it against the starting defense when I was the defensive coordinator getting really upset with him … That’s how he trains. He’s built for that.”
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Danielson recalled a time last January when Jeanty was “out on the blue” in the snow with his shirt off, doing tug-of-war against his teammates early in the offseason as he trained.
According to those who know him best, his work ethic makes him so tough to tackle.
Danielson was quick to credit Jeanty’s teammates as well. He mentioned that while Jeanty has shown the ability to “take on all 11” on defense, his teammates play a key role in his success.
“It takes a team,” Danielson said. “Ash will be the first to tell you that. It takes the offensive line, the tight ends, our wide receivers. It’s mandatory to block on our team. We’re a run-first operation with complements off of it. So, there’s a lot of pieces that go into the success that Ashton’s having.”
Jeanty has a chance to break the all-time single-season rushing record with a strong performance (or multiple strong performances) in the College Football Playoff.
He and the Broncos will continue that journey against Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 at 7:30 ET on ESPN.
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