• Speed for historical fast numbers: Genty is on pace to break every major single-season college rushing record
• Best back home and it still hasn’t shown: Genty led all of FBS in receiving grade and yards per PFF last year but hasn’t been able to do much this season.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our in-season fantasy tools, including Weekly ranking, WR/CB Matchup Chart, Weekly estimatesthe Start-seat optimizer and more Sign up now!
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
“2,500 all-purpose yards, 20-plus touchdowns and I’ll be in New York for the Heisman (Trophy).”
Boise State running back Ashton Genty had high expectations during PFF’s exclusive interview in March.
Based on the first four games of the season, he may be selling himself short. Genty’s 845 rushing yards are 160 more than any other player in college football, while his 13 rushing touchdowns clear the field by three. He accordingly owns the fourth-best Heisman odds (+1000). Draft Kings Sportsbook. The only non-Power Five player to take home the Streep-Arm Trophy since the 1960s was BYU quarterback Ty Detmer in 1990.
Genty is on pace for a record-shattering season, made even more impressive when two of his four games came against then-undefeated Power Five schools in Oregon and Washington State.
Ashton Genty’s historic pace in 2024
Stat | Ashton Genty’s 12-game pace | Single-season record |
Rushing yards | 2,535 | 2,628 (Barry Sanders, 1988) |
Rushing touchdowns | 39 | 37 (Barry Sanders, 1988) |
Rushing grade | 97.8 | 96.2* (Blake Choir2022) |
yards after contact | 1,761 | 1,355* (Jonathan Taylor2017) |
Forced missed tackle | 132 | 104* (Til Robinson2022) |
*Since PFF began charting college football in 2014
Note, for the rest this is only Genty’s current speed regular season. He could put up even more stats if Boise State plays in the Mountain West Championship Game or the College Football Playoff, which is highly possible, given that the Broncos are currently the highest-ranked group of five teams (No. 21).
Perhaps incredibly, Genty has yet to show off arguably his best trait: his ability to take. In high school, Genty played mostly wide receiver before switching to running back full-time as a senior. That pass-catching ability translated to the college game, helping Genty rack up 578 receiving yards as a sophomore — 95 more than any other FBS quarterback. His 91.6 PFF grade that season was 6.5 points higher than the next-closest tailback. So far this year, Genty has just six catches for 19 yards on 11 targets.
Ashton Genty’s career receiving numbers
Genty entered the season as the best receiving back in college football and now he is clearly the best rusher in college football. All that combined makes him a top-10 prospect PFF’s 2025 NFL Draft Big BoardRunning backs are a rarity these days. He compared the likes Alvin Kamara and Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.
Genty is in the midst of a historic season on the ground and looks every bit like a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, just as he predicted seven months ago.
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