Can Ashton Jeanty deliver on the hype? Those who've watched his career have no doubt.

IN 2018, JIM DAVIS had nary prime but to spell against his beliefs. As the shot manager for Naples Middle/High School, a schoolhouse for subject dependents successful Gricignano di Aversa, Campania, Italy, helium had ne'er started a freshman connected offense.

He had had freshmen connected the roster; sometimes 5 to six that seldom saw the tract unless the crippled was retired of hand.

But 14-year-old Ashton Jeanty forced Davis to deliberation differently.

Jeanty had been successful Italy since helium was 12 due to the fact that his father, Harry, was a commanding serviceman connected the naval enactment basal successful Aversa, a tiny municipality adjacent Naples. Even though the schoolhouse didn't connection tackle shot to mediate schoolhouse students, Davis was enamored by Jeanty's diversion quality successful sports similar hoops and track.

He recalled Jeanty beating precocious schoolhouse kids successful sprints. And 1 day, Davis watched Jeanty astir propulsion down a dunk connected the hoops court.

"That took a batch of powerfulness for a kid, who was possibly 5-foot-6 [and] 12 oregon 13 [years old], to detonate similar that," Davis, 54, told ESPN. "Most kids don't adjacent get to bash that erstwhile they are 18."

At Naples, the endowment varied with kids rotating successful and retired of the basal yearly. Some players had anterior cognition of football, portion others were shot players seeking a caller challenge. As a result, Davis ne'er relied connected the aforesaid violative scheme.

But erstwhile Jeanty, who was calved successful Jacksonville, Florida, joined the squad, Davis' crippled program was simple: Give him the shot by immoderate means necessary.

During 1 of the Wildcats' aboriginal practices, Jeanty displayed his power, flattening a elder linebacker. From that moment, Davis knew Jeanty was the existent deal.

"I was putting my wealth connected him earlier the play started... He enactment that kid close connected his butt," Davis -- who has coached astatine Naples since 2016 --recalled.

Jeanty was a antheral among boys, said Davis. He traveled crossed Europe, dominating contention connected subject bases successful Spain, Germany and Belgium. The closest roadworthy crippled was a nine-hour autobus ride, and since the tract connected the naval enactment basal didn't person lights, Jeanty played location games astatine the adjacent Carney Park subject recreational facility, located wrong an extinct volcano crater.

He enactment his squad connected his backmost weekly. He guided the Wildcats to a 6-0 grounds portion signaling 1,223 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Davis would person loved for Jeanty to enactment astatine Naples for the adjacent 3 seasons. In a sense, helium was the team's information blanket. Whenever the Wildcats needed a winning drive, they knew Jeanty would deliver. But Davis knew Jeanty's destiny was calling him to instrumentality to the United States, wherever helium could trial his accomplishment acceptable against stronger competition.

From afar, Davis watched Jeanty crook into a prima astatine Lone Star High School successful Frisco, Texas, and aboriginal a Heisman Trophy finalist astatine Boise State. And present with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jeanty is being tasked with a akin duty that Davis gave him 7 years agone successful Italy.

When the Raiders drafted Jeanty sixth wide successful April, it was evident that helium would play a large relation successful the offense. No moving backmost has been drafted higher since Saquon Barkley was taken 2nd wide successful 2018. Raiders manager Pete Carroll, who wants a run-heavy offense, has likened Jeanty to his erstwhile subordinate and Seattle Seahawks moving backmost Marshawn Lynch. And during the offseason, Jeanty played the bulk of his reps with the first-team offense.

In Year 1, the Raiders privation Jeanty to assistance crook astir the league's worst rushing onslaught (79.8 yards per game) successful 2024. Davis and those who person watched Jeanty's brilliance up adjacent cognize that helium is acceptable for the challenge.

"We made a large woody [about this] to him. Everybody's watching you, and helium embraced the thought of it," Carroll said. "And so, it's going to beryllium truly breathtaking to spot what happens."

LIVING IN TAMPA, Florida, Christian Albright inactive can't wrapper his caput astir the thought that his erstwhile Naples teammate has recovered his mode to the NFL.

At the time, helium didn't cognize helium would stock the tract with idiosyncratic who would yet rack up the second-most rushing yards (2,601) successful a play successful FBS history, trailing lone Barry Sanders successful 1988.

Nevertheless, the signs were there.

"He indispensable person been moving for 200 to 300 yards a game," Albright, 23, said. "He was bullying kids."

Each week, Jeanty was bound to bash thing spectacular, said Albright. During the Wildcats' title game, Albright recalled that Jeanty -- who was lined up arsenic an extracurricular linebacker -- recorded a pick-six. But his fondest representation of Jeanty didn't impact him making defenders look silly with his velocity and power.

"He threw my archetypal touchdown [reception]," Albright said. "I volition ever cherish that moment."

Jeanty started the play astatine backmost due to the fact that Davis conscionable wanted the shot successful his hands. The Wildcats incorporated a ton of quarterback-designed tally plays to let Jeanty to bushed opponents with his legs.

After 3 games, Davis decided to scrap that program and enactment Jeanty astatine moving back.

The games were comparatively high-scoring, and immoderate came down to a touchdown. With Jeanty connected the field, the Wildcats knew they would locomotion distant victorious.

"As agelong arsenic we had the ball, I knew we had the accidental to people with him successful the backfield," Davis said. "A batch of times [teams] would enactment 9 successful the box, but if helium deed a seam and you didn't instrumentality him down, helium was gone."

The crippled was excessively casual for Jeanty successful Italy. So overmuch truthful that adjacent Davis knew his apical subordinate had to look tougher contention and get much exposure.

When Jeanty returned to the United States to be Lone Star, it took longer than 3 weeks to amusement that helium could beryllium a menace successful the backfield.

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The highlights that marque Ashton Jeanty a apical NFL draught prospect

Check retired highlights from Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty arsenic helium becomes the newest Las Vegas Raider.

UNLIKE DAVIS, JEFF Rayburn's instauration to Jeanty didn't impact moving the rock.

Jeanty was a sophomore erstwhile helium lined up astatine information during a scrimmage up of the 2019 season. He ran downhill and annihilated an opposing shot bearer adjacent the sideline, generating oohs and aahs from everyone astir him.

"It was 1 of those hits wherever everybody stops and gets juiced up," said Rayburn, who has been the caput manager astatine Lone Star since 2013. "That was our archetypal glimpse of who helium was going to be, adjacent though helium was a antiaircraft player."

When Jeanty joined the Rangers, Marvin Mims Jr. was the focus. Mims, a third-year wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, holds the Texas precocious schoolhouse authorities grounds for receiving yards successful a vocation (5,485) and successful a play (2,629 arsenic a elder successful 2019).

They besides had moving backmost Jaden Nixon, present a redshirt elder astatine UCF, who rushed for 821 yards and 14 touchdowns that season.

Given the established endowment connected offense, Jeanty played information and antiaircraft extremity during his archetypal play astatine Lone Star, erstwhile the squad went 14-1.

As a junior, Jeanty transitioned to slot receiver/running backmost and made an impact. Jeanty totaled 55 catches for 816 yards and 7 touchdowns. He besides had 383 yards and a people connected 44 carries.

"He's a earthy astatine everything. There's not a presumption connected the tract helium couldn't play," Rayburn said of Jeanty, who received all-state honors arsenic a wideout.

Robby Jones, the manager astatine Aledo High School successful Aledo, Texas, called Jeanty a "dynamic wide receiver." In his team's triumph implicit Lone Star successful 2020, Jeanty managed to cod six catches for 120 yards. Once Jeanty became the Rangers' pb moving backmost arsenic a senior, helium made things adjacent much challenging for Aledo.

The Bearcats took pridefulness successful their tally defense. Jones said they focused heavy connected Jeanty, hoping to forestall him from generating a large play each clip helium touched the ball. Despite the Bearcats beating Lone Star by 10 points, Jeanty finished with 16 carries for 158 yards and 3 touchdowns.

"If we had [Jeanty], we would've had him successful the backfield the full time," Jones added. "Our antiaircraft enactment kept him bottled up astatine immoderate points successful the game, but erstwhile you person an exceptional jock similar that, he's going to get his yards."

Jeanty filled up the stat sheet. He racked up 2,645 all-purpose yards (1,835 rushing), 41 full touchdowns and ran for 150-plus yards six times.

Amid Lone Star's 9-3 campaign, College Station High School successful College Station, Texas, was the lone squad to clasp Jeanty to nether 100 yards. Defensive coordinator Chance Locklear said the cardinal to containing Jeanty, who had 71 yards connected 23 carries successful the 55-21 loss, was catching him connected the edges earlier helium gained steam.

He didn't privation his linebackers to get into one-on-one matchups with Jeanty, truthful they had a information play implicit the top. Even though the Cougars contained Jeanty connected the ground, helium inactive managed to grounds 70 receiving yards.

"We felt bully astir the defence we had that year," Locklear said. "But erstwhile helium turned up the tract and went vertical, we didn't consciousness similar we had the velocity to tally with him from the linebacker spot."

Even though Jeanty was hard to strategy against, coaches admired however helium brought retired the champion successful their players. At the aforesaid time, they wondered wherefore Jeanty had been overlooked successful the recruiting process.

"When we spot a feline similar [Jeanty], we look astatine however they are being recruited. Right away, we felt similar this feline was mode underrecruited," Jones said.

WHEN COLLEGE COACHES visited Ryan High School successful Denton, Texas, caput manager Dave Henigan occasionally offered unsolicited advice.

Even though recruiters were determination to conscionable erstwhile Denton and existent Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and different players connected his roster, Henigan would archer them to spell to Lone Star if they were looking for a moving back.

"I would accidental 'I've been a manager for 22 years and the champion moving backmost I've seen was astatine Lone Star,'" Henigan said.

Henigan's connection wasn't received by most. Jeanty was a three-star recruit, and Kansas and California were the lone Power 5 schools to widen an offer.

"Nobody listened," Henigan said. "I mean, Boise State listened. But I don't cognize what radical were looking at. To beryllium honest, recruiting is simply a precise inexact science."

Air Force manager Troy Calhoun and antiaircraft coordinator Brian Knorr listened. The Falcons were among the 15 schools to widen a assistance connection to Jeanty. Knorr was heavy progressive successful Jeanty's recruiting process.

Knorr said Air Force pursued Jeanty, intending to marque him a slot receiver. He admired Jeanty's "no quit" cognition and his beardown moving ability. Knorr had nary hard feelings erstwhile Jeanty decided to motion with Boise State. Knorr adjacent respected that Jeanty spent his full assemblage vocation with the Broncos alternatively of jumping into the transportation portal.

"It's funny, the champion moving backmost successful the state was successful the [Mountain West Conference]," Knorr laughed. "He's truthful loyal."

Jeanty's beingness astatine Boise State came astatine the outgo of Knorr having to look the enlistee helium erstwhile coveted. As a freshman successful 2022, Jeanty recorded conscionable 53 rushing yards against Air Force.

The pursuing year, helium exploded for 225 full yards and 2 touchdowns to assistance Boise State clinch a berth successful the Mountain West rubric game. Knorr said Boise State didn't effort to disguise its crippled plan. The Falcons knew the shot was going to Jeanty, who had 19 touches successful the win.

Knorr said Air Force focused connected gangtackling and having aggregate eyes connected the ball. Still, determination was thing the Falcons could bash to dilatory down Jeanty.

"In the biggest crippled of our season, [Jeanty] caught a surface and made six guys miss [on a 75-yard touchdown]," Knorr said. "In his past 2 years, helium got truthful beardown that you had to beryllium a large tackler to bring him down arsenic 1 guy."

JEANTY'S FINAL SEASON astatine Boise State was monumental. Sometimes Davis had to get up aboriginal successful the morning, Italy time, to carnivore witnesser to his erstwhile subordinate making assemblage shot history.

"It was similar watching him tally astir connected the tract arsenic a freshman successful precocious school," Davis said. "It was eerily similar."

Jeanty averaged 185.8 yards per crippled and collected 29 touchdowns -- tied for the seventh-most successful a play successful FBS history. He rushed for astatine slightest 200 yards connected six occasions portion propelling the Broncos to a 12-2 grounds and a spot successful the College Football Playoff, wherever they faced Penn State successful the quarterfinals.

Former Nittany Lions antiaircraft coordinator Tom Allen coached against plentifulness of talented moving backs during his career. When Allen was watching Jeanty's crippled movie successful mentation for the matchup, helium saw shades of erstwhile LSU moving backmost Leonard Fournette -- the 4th prime successful the 2017 NFL draft.

"Fournette would astir apt beryllium the closest examination due to the fact that [Jeanty] is truthful powerful. That's wherever it's different," said Allen, present the antiaircraft coordinator astatine Clemson. "His legs are truthful large and strong, and helium throws radical off."

Allen and his squad were excited to trial themselves against Jeanty. The Nittany Lions had a formidable defence successful 2024. They were sixth successful the Big Ten Conference successful rushing yards allowed (101.9 per game) and 3rd successful points (16.5).

Jeanty was 131 yards shy of tying Sanders' single-season rushing record. Penn State, however, didn't program connected letting him rewrite the grounds book.

"We person a batch of guys who privation to play successful the NFL. I said, 'Well, present you go. You are going against an NFL moving back,'" Allen said.

In Penn State's 31-14 triumph implicit Boise State, Allen's defence accomplished its extremity of containing Jeanty, but it wasn't easy. Indeed, Jeanty didn't people a rushing touchdown and was held to 3 ½ yards per transportation -- the lowest since 2023.

The Nittany Lions had a furniture of players astatine the constituent of onslaught truthful that Jeanty wouldn't interruption escaped for agelong runs. And yet, helium inactive managed to grounds 104 yards adjacent though it took 30 attempts to bash so.

"To person that benignant of nonsubjective from your hostile and inactive beryllium capable to get yards shows you [how large helium is]," Allen said.

"And that's wherefore I sought him retired aft the game. I person truthful overmuch respect for him. He's 1 of the champion moving backs I've ever coached against."

DURING THE FIRST nighttime of the NFL draft, Davis hoped Jeanty was selected aboriginal for selfish reasons. He woke up astir 2 americium to ticker the event, and the quicker Jeanty was selected, the sooner helium could spell backmost to bed.

Fortunately, the Raiders granted his wish.

Las Vegas and Jeanty seemed similar a cleanable lucifer earlier the franchise made its draught choice. When Carroll was introduced arsenic the caput coach, helium emphasized the value of having a beardown moving crippled to enactment the quarterback. Meanwhile, wide manager John Spytek liked however the Philadelphia Eagles won a Super Bowl based connected an businesslike rushing onslaught led by Barkley.

Due to the Raiders' accent connected a beardown rushing onslaught aft being adjacent the bottommost successful each large rushing category, Jeanty volition beryllium asked to bash immoderate dense lifting close away.

He walked into the gathering arsenic the clear-cut starter. And frankincense far, Las Vegas has treated him arsenic such. Jeanty is expected to beryllium a focal constituent of the discourtesy on with backmost Geno Smith, choky extremity Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.

If the Raiders genuinely privation to person a changeable astatine competing for the postseason, Jeanty indispensable unrecorded up to the expectations helium placed connected himself.

There's assurance wrong the gathering that helium can.

"All the hype is real, and I'm ace excited to artifact for him," Raiders halfway Jackson Powers-Johnson said. "Maybe get immoderate celebrations. He's a large TikTok dancer, truthful possibly get my hips loosened up a small bit."

Said Meyers: "If helium could travel successful and bash what I deliberation and anticipation helium tin do, I consciousness similar it's going to beryllium a amusive twelvemonth for us."

Even though the Raiders were not successful pads during OTAs and minicamp, violative coordinator Chip Kelly said Jeanty's performances against Oregon and Penn State successful 2024 supply optimism for the 21-year-old's imaginable connected offense.

Both games demonstrated to Kelly that Jeanty tin play astatine a precocious level, careless of the competition.

"That was a small spot antithetic league for Boise astatine that time, but not for Ashton successful presumption of what helium did," Kelly said. "[I'm] excited to spot him."

Just similar Jeanty's freshman twelvemonth astatine Naples, helium volition beryllium asked to play an integral relation from the jump. He has shown that he's up for the challenge.

"From being the apical canine present arsenic a freshman twelvemonth to [not getting] to tally the shot again until his elder year, a batch of kids mightiness person quit, but helium was determined," Davis said.