LAS VEGAS — Talking to those who know Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty best, one might get the impression at least some of his nearly 4,700 rushing yards at Boise State came by way of skipping across water instead of a blue field.

“The Raiders aren’t only getting an elite running back, they’re getting an elite human and someone who I believe will go in that locker room and change the culture immediately with how he works and how he treats people,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said of his former player. “He’s that guy. And he’s relentless. He really can do it all on the field, but he’s even better off of it.”

It’s no surprise Jeanty was the topic of so many questions directed at Boise State coaches and players during Mountain West media day this week at Circa even though he is no longer with the program and has moved on to the NFL.

But it was interesting to watch how excited they all were to take them.

“You can ask me as many questions as you want about him,” star offensive tackle Kage Casey, a potential first-round pick in the 2026 draft, told a national reporter. “I love talking about Ashton Jeanty.

“He is the most genuine guy you will ever meet. He’s going to show up every day with a smile on his face and be just as much of a leader in the community as he is on the field. He will give back in every way he can, just like he does in the locker room where he makes every single teammate from senior all-conference guys to freshman walk-ons feel like they’re the most important teammate he’s ever had.

“I think Vegas is getting an absolutely outstanding human being in Ashton Jeanty and he’s going to make the city fall in love with him.”

Perhaps the only thing he enjoyed more was blocking for his former teammate.

“It’s crazy when you’re playing offensive line and you know if you can create a yard of space, he’s going to take it 80,” Casey said. “It’s amazing to watch and it makes it so much fun to block for him.”

Casey and Jeanty were together from the start at Boise. They enrolled early and arrived on campus in January 2022 in order to get a jump on their collegiate careers.

It became evident early to Casey that he was going to have to elevate his own work ethic to meet the standard set by the man for whom he would eventually help pave the way for a record-shattering career.

“You’re talking about the hardest worker you’ve ever met,” Casey raved. “Definitely the hardest worker I’ve ever met and probably that I will ever meet. This dude was a Hall of Famer as a freshman in college.”

That opinion was solidified when after a spectacular 2023 season, Jeanty somehow ramped up his practice habits and workouts. Casey recalls watching Jeanty lead the team in a lift and then taking the running backs out on the field in the sweltering summer heat for drills and extra work.

“Those guys were all looking like they’re going to die trying to keep up with him, but Ashton knows that if he doesn’t do this, he won’t be where he needs to be and he’s not going to be able to take the team where it needs to be,” Casey said. “You will never meet another person like Ashton Jeanty.”

That leadership is what stood out to star defensive end Jayden Virgin-Morgan, a returning first-team all-Mountain West player.

“Ashton is an amazing person and teammate,” Virgin-Morgan said. “It’s hard to even describe how great he is. He may be the best player on any field he steps on, but he’s always going to be the same person no matter what. He’s going to be normal, he’ll talk to you like you’re one of the guys and he leads by example. Everything he said and tried to get the team to do, he did as well. It wasn’t just him saying it and then just expecting us to follow his words. He was going to be right there working with you. Every single time.”

It’s why Danielson believes Jeanty will have such a significant and immediate impact with the Raiders. He remembers weeks when Jeanty would put his body through the abuse of 30 physical carries for more than 200 hard-fought yards but still be the first person on the practice field Tuesday.

“He left a legacy at Boise and it wasn’t just the yards or the Heisman chase or any of that,” Danielson said. “There are players on our team that train differently now because they watched Ashton. I believe that. And I believe he will do the same with the Raiders. I’ll tell you right now I believe he’s going to be the offensive rookie of the year.”

OK, but there has to be something right? Did he ever wake up cranky or forget to hold the door for someone?

“I don’t know, I think he might be perfect,” Casey said, straining to come up with an example. “I literally can’t think of anything.”

Finally a question about Jeanty someone can’t easily answer.

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