Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty delivered a phenomenal 2024 season, powering the Broncos’ offense with one of the most dominant rushing performances in college football history. Racking up 2,601 yards on 374 carries, Jeanty posted the second-highest single-season rushing total ever—trailing only the legendary Barry Sanders.
Widely regarded as the top running back in this draft class, Jeanty’s historic season has drawn lofty comparisons, including to several NFL Hall of Famers. However, not everyone is sold on the hype—former Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark remains skeptical of Jeanty’s game.
Ryan Clark Pushes Back on Ashton Jeanty Hall of Fame Comparisons
Jeanty is a versatile weapon as both a runner and receiver. He shows excellent contact balance, combines explosive power with top-end speed, and has a natural ability to break tackles.
These qualities, in addition to his tremendous production on the collegiate level, have drawn comparisons to LaDainian Tomlinson and Walter Payton, two of the best running backs in history.
But Clark doesn’t agree and termed it crazy in a recent post on X.
“This is crazy!! So his range is… All time great with Super Bowl ring (Payton) or all time great without Super Bowl ring (Tomlinson). 1st ballot Gold Jacket either way huh? Ok,” he wrote.
This is crazy!!
So his range is…
All time great with Super Bowl ring or
all time great without Super Bowl ring.1st ballot Gold Jacket either way huh? Ok. https://t.co/bQdaMYU5kv
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 20, 2025
These are bold comparisons without a doubt, but neither of the two had as good collegiate careers as Jeanty either. Whether Jeanty reaches the same heights as Payton and Tomlinson in the NFL remains to be seen, but he certainly has similar hype coming out of college.
It’s worth noting that Jeanty’s favorite comparison is neither Tomlinson nor Payton. It’s the New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara, a five-time Pro Bowler.
What the NFL Draft Experts Say About Jeanty
PFSN’s Brentley Weissman offered this scouting report on Jeanty:
“Jeanty offsets his average size with outstanding speed, burst, and vision. Jeanty is a short running back but has a dense build with a sturdy lower body. While not possessing imposing size, Jeanty has rare contact balance and can easily bounce off would-be tacklers without losing speed or balance.
“He is a physical runner who flashes a strong stiff arm, and it often takes multiple tacklers to bring him down. In short, Jeanty is a player who defensive coordinators preach about gang tackling all week, considering his ability to break through tacklers late in the down for extra yards.”
In less than a week, Ashton Jeanty will stop being compared to others and start forging his own path. The moment he lifts the jersey of his new team, his focus will shift to building a career that others will eventually be measured against.