Ashton Jeanty was one of the greatest running backs in college-football history. But he’s already adjusting his game to win favor with his Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff.
Jeanty has adopted a new pre-snap stance at the suggestion of Raiders’ first-year offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who used a unique way of selling the Boise State rookie.
“Chip Kelly comes to me, first day of rookie minicamp, and he’s like ‘do you play basketball?’” Jeanty recalled on the “Up And Adams” Show on Tuesday. “He was like ‘show you how you would guard me,’ and he was like acting he was on the ball and he said ‘that’s how you have to get down in your running back stance.’”
Jeanty is coming off one of the most prolific single seasons for a running back in FBS history, by posting 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns for the Broncos in 2024.
That earned him the second-largest contract for a running back ever, by guaranteed dollars, since he’ll make almost $36 million over four years for his rookie deal after the Raiders chose him with the sixth overall pick at last month’s draft.
Halloween-Style
Jeanty tore up opposing defenses last year but also attracted attention due to his likeness to one of the most notorious, albeit fictional, horror villains of all-time.
Jeanty’s college pre-snap stance drew comparisons to Michael Myers from the legendary horror film series “Halloween.” Millions of viewers were attracted to videos on both YouTube and TikTok, comparing Jeanty’s upright stance to that of the uber-famous serial murderer.
But it didn’t take long for Kelly, who also came to the desert from college as the offensive coordinator at national-champion Ohio State, to coach the horrific stance out of his rookie running back.
But just because Jeanty has bought into his new coordinator’s advice doesn’t mean his stance will stay low forever.
“He won for now,” Jeanty said, referencing Kelly. “I’m gonna try to persuade him someday. I’ve got to earn my stripes and make some plays first, but I don’t think it’s gonna be the end.”
Why No. 2?
Jeanty may be the Raiders’ No. 1 draft pick in 2025, but he’ll be No. 2 on their roster for the foreseeable future.
Jeanty is fortunate the Raiders will pay him handsomely, because a chunk of that guaranteed money went to Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson so Jeanty could wear his college number.
“I didn’t get this for free,” Jeanty said. “I had to drop a little bag.”
Adams asked Jeanty how much he had to pay to get No. 2. Although he didn’t reveal the exact number, he did say it was enough to buy “a nice Mercedes GLE,” and shed some light on how he negotiated for with Carlson, who has worn that number since since 2020, when he gave up his No. 8 to then-backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.
“I called him up and said ‘I’m trying to get that No. 2; I’m willing to negotiate,’” Jeanty said. “I gave him what I was thinking [dollar-wise], and he came back and I’m like ‘I gotta do it.’ I gotta drop that little bag for No. 2.”
Jeanty also explained why it mattered for him to wear the number.
“I’ve worn [No. 2] the majority of my career,” Jeanty said. “It was the day greatness was born — my birthday is December 2. It’s a family number. It means a lot.”
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