Ashton Jeanty had a season for the ages as a Boise State senior in 2024. All in all, he rushed for 2,601 yards, just 27 short of Barry Sanders’ all-time record. He also rushed for the 7th-most TDs (29) in a single season in NCAA history. Needless to say, he was the catalyst for Boise State’s 12-2 season, their best mark since 2019.
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The funny thing is, while his six 100-yard games will surely be remembered, it might be the 5’9″, 215-pound running back’s pre-snap stance in the backfield that sticks in the mind the most. It’s just so unique and unorthodox. Instead of leaning over with his hands on his thighs or knees—like every other RB in history—Jeanty stands straight up as if he’s at a museum looking at a painting.
It’s eerie. It’s like watching Michael Myers wait in the backfield for the Boise State QB to hand it off. When Jon Gruden had the 21-year-old on his new show, Gruden Goes Long, the fiery head coach couldn’t help but ask about the peculiar starting stance.
“You have the most unique stance I have ever seen. You gotta come clean with me, why are you standing like straight up… Are you trying to see more? Your straight up stance, I’ve never seen it,” Gruden said.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s nothing, you know,” Jeanty began, only to be cut off by the former NFL head coach
“Let me see it, stand up, show me that stance. (Jeanty stands up straight) This is how you stand. That has never happened in the history of football. (Laughs)”
One would think that you can get more explosiveness from a more leaned-over stance, but it seems to work for Jeanty—and it’s going to keep working for him. When Gruden asked what he would do if a coach asked him to get lower, he responded that he wouldn’t change. The results do speak for themselves, in the end.
“I’m gonna do the same thing because I rushed for 2,600 yards so, you know, if it was a problem… Obviously, I’m trying to scan the defense—I feel like either way you can scan the defense. But I think the most important thing is being relaxed. Before the ball snaps, I know football is a violent game, but a lot happens in those few seconds of scanning the defense,” the running back explained.
Jeanty is best known for his unusual straight-up stance, but he’s not the only one. As Gruden pointed out, Detroit Lions back Jahmyr Gibbs has a similarly upright stance behind Jared Goff in the Motor City. Gruden joked that Jeanty might have started a trend that’s already “killing” coaches like him.
“You’re killing me, man. Coaches now, all the running backs, are doing what you’re doing. You know that, don’t you?” Gruden said.
That stance likely won’t work for players without the elite speed and athleticism of Jeanty or Gibbs, so it’s doubtful it will catch on for long.
Meanwhile, Jeanty is taking his stance and his talents to the NFL this April in the 2025 Draft. There, Jeanty could very well become just the 3rd RB to be drafted in the top 12 since 2018. One of the others was Bijan Robinson (8th overall in 2023). But funnily enough, the 3rd was Gibbs, who was selected 12th overall in 2023. We’d say he’s turned out to be a pretty good pro.
