He ran circles around everyone in college – now he’s about to take the next big step. In a few weeks, Ashton Jeanty will start his first NFL season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Will he cause a sensation there too?

It became clear early on that Ashton Jeanty had a special talent. The 21-year-old from Florida actually gained his first major football experience outside the United States. His father was stationed in Naples as a Chief Petty Officer (a rank in the U.S. Navy, roughly equivalent to a petty officer first class), where Jeanty went to school.

He caused a sensation there in his very first season, playing six games: against other European schools where children of military personnel played, he ran for 1,200 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. An incredible average of 200 yards and over three touchdowns per game.

Back in the USA

After that season, he told his parents that he wanted to return to the USA. He finally managed to convince them. Jeanty transferred to Lone Star High School in Texas, where he continued his impressive performances from Naples.

His record in 2021, his last year before college: The running back gained 1,843 rushing yards at an average of eight yards per carry, caught 41 passes for 810 yards, and scored a total of 41 touchdowns (31 rushing, ten receiving).

Jeanty was also unstoppable at Boise State College: in 2022 and 2023, he still shared the workload with another running back. In his final college season in 2024, however, things took on surreal proportions.

Here is a list of records he set in his final college year in the FBS (the highest division in NCAA college football):

Rushing yards after contact in a season (1,970)

Forced missed tackles in a season (164)

Games with over 100 rushing yards in a season (14)

Rushing touchdowns of at least 70 yards in a season (5)

During his three years at Boise State College, he also shattered nearly every school running back record and is considered by far the best running back the school has ever produced.
No NFL Combine for Jeanty

After one of the best running back seasons in college football history, it was clear that he would enter the draft. However, his decision not to participate in the combine was unusual.

Instead, a week before the draft, Jeanty published a readable and, above all, impressively open letter to the general managers of all 32 NFL teams.

He concluded with a clear, directional paragraph:

“I’ve come a long way. Now I’m done. If you draft me, it’s simple: I’m coming to your franchise to do what Saquon and the Eagles just did. I’m coming to win big – and soon. It’s TACKLE football… you know what I mean. I would draft the player you can’t tackle.”

The Las Vegas Raiders were convinced and selected the 1.74-meter, 94-kilogram powerhouse with the sixth pick.

Major shake-up for the Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders’ past season was one to forget overall (four wins and 13 losses), but the running game stood out as a particular weak point. The best running back was Alexander Mattison with just 420 yards in 14 appearances, while none of his teammates averaged more than 37 yards per game.

The Raiders made sweeping changes at the beginning of the year, parting ways with both head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco in January.

Shortly thereafter, legendary coach Pete Carroll, who had previously coached the Seattle Seahawks for 14 years, was hired as the new head coach. This was followed in February by a comprehensive shake-up of the coaching staff, with almost all position coaches being dismissed and replaced.

Finally, in March, the Raiders made Maxx Crosby one of the highest-paid defensive ends in the league and reunited Carroll with his former quarterback from Seattle, Geno Smith.
Can the powerhouse also play in the NFL?

Carroll is a coach who plays according to a classic concept: he plays run-oriented, controlled football, but uses the pass for big, explosive plays – in other words, “run to set up the pass.”

With Smith, Jeanty now has an experienced and reliable quarterback at his side. In addition, the Raiders are in a situation where hardly anyone has high expectations of them at the moment.

Basically, the conditions are good. In the preseason, the man with Haitian roots had a weak debut against the Seattle Seahawks (three carries for -1 yard). In the second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, however, he showed improvement with a touchdown and 33 yards on seven carries.

Of course, it remains to be seen how Jeanty will perform in his first snaps of the regular season. But against the 49ers in particular, he already showed that he can keep up with the “grown men” of the NFL defenses. If he manages to transfer even a fraction of his aggressive running style to the NFL, the Raiders could have signed an exceptional player.

And definitely a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

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