Ashton Jeanty Prepares Heisman Acceptance Speech He'll Never Give After Losing to Travis Hunter
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty's Heisman Trophy acceptance speech will end up in the same place as Kamala Harris' presidential victory speech.
Jeanty, who was a finalist for the award on Saturday night, came up just short of Colorado star Travis Hunter in the polls. Jeanty had the best season of any Boise State running back in program history and one of the best in college football history.
He thought a lot about his chances of winning the award, wrote and practiced an acceptance speech and told the world that he did.
“I rehearsed my speech last night to make sure I'm ready when I get up there,” Jeanty told reporters before the event on Saturday.
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Heisman Trophy winners, from left, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and Miami's Cam Ward pose with the trophy Dec. 13, 2024, New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
But Hunter's dominance this season on both offense as a wide receiver and defense as a defensive back was too much for Jeanty to overcome.
Hunter received 552 first-place votes, beating Jeanty by 309. So far, the top two have come out in the vote, and it's the closest vote since 2009.
HEISMAN HOPEFUL ASHTON JEANTY POINTS TO FAITH AFTER PLAYOFF-BOUND BOISE STATE WINS MOUNTAIN WEST TITLE
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) breaks the arm of UNLV defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson (98) in the first half of the Mountain West championship game Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)
As a wide receiver, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 total touchdowns. Hunter won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top wide receiver. As a corner, Hunter had 31 tackles, 11 pass deflections and four interceptions, anchoring Colorado's defense.
Hunter also won the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player, becoming the first player ever to win the Bednarik and Biletnikoff awards.
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Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty is interviewed by Fox Sports reporter Allison Williams after the game against the UNLV Rebels at Albertsons Stadium Dec. 6, 2024. (Brian Losness/Images)
Jeanty was the first Heisman Trophy running back since 2017 after an impressive season in which he led the nation in rushing with 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns.
The running back helped lead Boise State to the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff, which included a first-round bye. Boise State will play the winner of SMU and Penn State.
Hunter's Colorado team failed to make the playoffs, finishing at No. 23. Colorado will play BYU in the Alamo Bowl Dis. 28.
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