BOISE, Idaho — Boise State sophomore running back Ashton Jeanty on Wednesday earned more national recognition, landing on the Associated Press midseason All-American first team.
Jeanty is one of just two Group of 5 players to earn first-team honors, alongside Old Dominion linebacker Jason Henderson. The Bronco standout was recognized by the AP as the nation's top all-purpose player, an honor he also earned from ESPN and CBS Sports this week.
While the Lone Star High School graduate doesn't appear on kick or punt return, he currently leads the nation with 1,264 all-purpose yards. Jeanty is averaging an impressive 180.6 yards per game, with 15 total touchdown this fall.
In last week's 31-30 loss to Colorado State, Jeanty ran for a career-high 212 yards. He also ran for 205 yards in Boise State's win over San Diego State last month, making him the first Bronco since Alexander Mattison in 2018 to have two games in a single season with 200 or more rushing yards.
The 5-foot-9, 210-pound bruiser also is just the fourth Boise State running back to have multiple 200-yard performances, joining Mattison, Jeremy McNichols (2016) and Jay Ajayi (2014). Jeanty has taken the Mountain West by storm as veteran running back George Holani works his way back from injury.
Not only does Jeanty lead the nation in all-purpose yards and total touchdowns, but he also ranks No. 1 in total points scored (90), points scored per game (12.9), first downs recorded (66), yards after contact (604), missed tackles caused (66) and yards after catch among non-wide receivers (430).
FIRST TEAM - OFFENSE
- Quarterback — Michael Penix Jr., sixth-year, Washington.
- Running backs — Jonathon Brooks, third-year, Texas; Audric Estime, third-year, Notre Dame.
- Tackles — Joe Alt, third-year, Notre Dame; Taliese Fuaga, third-year, Oregon State.
- Guards — Cooper Beebe, fifth-year, Kansas State; Zak Zinter, fourth-year, Michigan.
- Center — Jackson Powers-Johnson, third-year, Oregon.
- Tight end — Brock Bowers, third-year, Georgia.
- Wide receivers — Malik Nabers, third-year, LSU; Luther Burden III, second-year, Missouri; Rome Odunze, fourth-year, Washington.
- All-purpose player — Ashton Jeanty, second-year, Boise State.
- Kicker — Will Reichard, fifth-year, Alabama.
FIRST TEAM - DEFENSE
- Edge rushers — Laiatu Latu, fifth-year, UCLA; Dallas Turner, third-year, Alabama.
- Interior linemen — Howard Cross III, fifth-year, Notre Dame; Jer'Zhan Netwon, fourth-year, Illinois.
- Linebackers — Payton Wilson, sixth-year, North Carolina State; Jason Henderson, third-year, Old Dominion; Edgerrin Cooper, third-year, Texas A&M.
- Cornerbacks — Kool-aid McKinstry, third-year, Alabama; Kris Abrams-Draine, fourth-year, Missouri.
- Safeties — Malaki Starks, second-year, Georgia; Jaylin Simpson, fifth-year, Auburn.
- Defensive back — Cooper DeJean, third-year, Iowa.
- Punter — Tory Taylor, fourth-year, Iowa.
SECOND TEAM - OFFENSE
- Quarterback — Jayden Daniels, fifth-year, LSU.
- Running backs — Ray Davis, fifth-year, Kentucky; Blake Corum, fourth-year, Michigan.
- Tackles — Olu Fashanu, fourth-year, Penn State; Javon Foster, sixth-year, Missouri.
- Guards — Christian Haynes, sixth-year, UConn; Tanner Miller, fifth-year, Oregon State.
- Center — Sedrick Van Pran, fourth-year, Georgia.
- Wide receivers — Marvin Harrison, Jr, third-year, Ohio State; Troy Franklin, third-year, Oregon; Xavier Legette, fifth-year, South Carolina.
- Tight end — Cade Stover, fifth-year, Ohio State.
- All-purpose player — Keon Coleman, third-year, Florida State.
- Kicker — Graham Nicholson, third-year, Miami (Ohio).
SECOND TEAM - DEFENSE
- Edge rushers — Jonah Elliss, third-year, Utah; Mohamed Kamara, fifth-year, Colorado State.
- Interior linemen — T’Vondre Sweat, fifth-year, Texas; Byron Murphy II, fourth-year, Texas.
- Linebackers — Danny Stutsman, third-year, Oklahoma; Jay Higgins, fourth-year, Iowa; Power Echols, third-year, North Carolina.
- Cornerbacks — Denzel Burke, third-year, Ohio State; Maxwell Hairston, third-year, Kentucky.
- Safeties — Tyler Nubin, fifth-year, Minnesota; Calen Bullock, third-year, Southern California.
- Defensive back — Sebastian Castro, fifth-year, Iowa.
- Punter — Matthew Hayball, sixth-year, Vanderbilt.
NOTE: Head coach Andy Avalos on Wednesday said team captain and linebacker DJ Schramm has returned to practice, and Holani is expected to return soon. Watch his full news conference below:
Boise State (3-4, 2-1 MW) returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Albertsons Stadium against Wyoming (5-2, 2-1 MW). The contest on The Blue is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. MT on Fox Sports 2. Both teams are on byes this week.
Watch more on Boise State Football:
See all of our Boise State football coverage in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.