Volcano to Heisman stage: Ashton Jeanty’s journey helped push Boise State into playoff
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Laramie, Wyo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/David Zalubowski]
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Ashton Jeanty’s athletic arc took him from the bowels of an Italian volcano to the Heisman Trophy stage in New York City. As the son of a Navy chief petty officer, Jeanty bounced around as a kid, spending his football-formative years at a base in the farmland outside Naples, Italy. Playing teams from other bases required body-stiffening bus rides, up to 18 hours one way to play in Germany. But those early days shaped the man and player he is today as Boise State’s star running back. Behind Jeanty, the third-seeded Broncos are in the College Football Playoff for the first time, facing No. 6 seed Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
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