Now that the college football 2024-2025 season is well underway, the Heisman Award race is in full swing. As the race drags on, the debate starts to get more relevant and increasingly more intense. The Heisman award is given out to the nation’s best college football player that given year.
Players who win the Heisman go onto the professional level, and this prestigious award gives the players who win a level of stardom that was unattainable before. Winning this award brings in an unprecedented level of money and publicity to the city and college of said players. This race attracts national media attention.
If the season ended today, the finalists would include four prominent players, Including quarterbacks Dillion Gabriel from the University of Oregon and Cameron Ward from the University of Miami. Another finalist is two-way player cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter from the University of Colorado Boulder. Players who can play both sides of the ball (playing offense as well as defense) are often called two-way players. A two-way player is considered a generational athlete. Hunter is a two-way player and is playing exceptional football. It is very impressive to be elite at almost every aspect of football like Travis Hunter is. The last finalist hopeful is running back Ashton Jeanty from Boise State University.
“I have not always been the biggest fan of Boise State’s football team, but even I really think he is amazing. Ashton Jeanty is an incredible player, and I am excited to watch him when I go to a game soon,” said junior Will Anderson.
Through seven games, Jeanty’s current stats consist of 1,376 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns and 8.7 yards per carry. He is leading the nation in rushing yards and is second in rushing touchdowns. Jeanty is on pace to put up the best college football Running Back season of all time. His popularity is bringing mass media attention to Boise State and Idaho Support for Ashton Jeanty is sweeping the state and across the nation. Jeanty is almost single handedly pushing Boise State towards a potential College Football playoffs birth, which would be the first time in school history making the playoffs.
“Honestly, if Jeanty does win it, I’ll probably go crazy. It would be so cool to watch,” said junior vice principal Marc Lannon. “Even if you are not a Boise State fan, many people have said he is just very fun to watch. Him winning the Hesman would be a very big deal to Boise State, me, Boise, and the country.”
Winning the Heisman could boost Boise State’s notoriety, enrollment and donations, benefiting the university and the community beyond football. Jeanty is on pace to shatter Hall of Fame running back Barry Sander’s college records. Sanders is considered by some to be the best running back of all time. Jeanty winning the Heisman would be the biggest thing to happen to Boise State, since the historic 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Even if Jeanty does indeed not win, he has already catapulted himself to be a probable top 15 pick in this year’s NFL draft, which is very difficult for a running back to accomplish. Jeanty is solidifying himself as a household name of the future and current state of the sports and entertainment world. Based on Jeanty’s statistics and Boise State’s success as a team, Jeanty should become the first player from Boise State to win the Heisman Trophy.
