"No, he's one of the best RBs in history of CFB": James Franklin corrects reporter's Ashton Jeanty comments at Fiesta Bowl presser

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty helped the Broncos (12-1) win the Mountain West Championship this season, securing them an automatic bid to the 12-team College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Boise State will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in The Fiesta Bowl showdown on Tuesday.

Penn State coach James Franklin has a lot of respect for Jeanty's talents. At a press conference ahead of the bowl game, a reporter referred to Jeanty as one of the best RBs this season. In turn, Franklin said:

"No, he's one of the best running backs in the history of college football."

Coming out of Lone Star High School, Ashton Jeanty joined the Boise State Broncos as part of the 2022 recruiting class. During his true freshman campaign, he split playing time with George Holani while appearing in all 14 games for the Broncos.

Last season, Jeanty again shared backfield duties with Holani, recording 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns to help his team lift the Mountain West trophy.

After Holani declared for the 2024 NFL draft, Ashton Jeanty became the primary RB for Boise State. He helped the Broncos win consecutive conference championships, tallying 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, behind Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.

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James Franklin heaps praise on Ashton Jeanty ahead of Fiesta Bowl showdown

The Penn State Nittany Lions have an idea about the offensive firepower they are going against in the Fiesta Bowl. In light of this, Franklin further commended Jeanty's talents:

"It's really everything. When you talk to people or listen to interviews, he's a class act off the field, which is awesome to see. When your best player is also one of your best kids and your hardest workers, that goes a long way for the culture of the program.

"I think the thing that not a lot of people are talking about is just the durability. The ability to carry the ball that many times throughout a season and understand what he has to do to take care of his body and have the ability to do that is also super impressive."

The Boise State vs. Penn State showdown will be hosted at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It is expected to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and broadcast live on ESPN.