Ashton Jeanty named finalist for NIL award

Cooper Flagg (Duke men’s basketball), Dylan Harper (Rutgers men’s basketball), Cam Skattebo (Arizona State football) and Braden Smith (Purdue men’s basketball) are the other finalists. 

Jeanty is also a finalist for Merch Moment of the Year for his The Boogeyman T-shirt. The other finalists for Merch Moment of the Year are Johnny Kinziger (Illinois State men’s basketball), Derik Queen (Maryland men’s basketball), Jack Sawyer (Ohio State football) and the St. John’s men’s basketball team. 

The 5-foot-8, 211-pound Jeanty recorded 1,970 yards after contact during his record-smashing junior season while forcing 164 missed tackles. His 2,601 rushing yards rank second on the FBS all-time single-season rushing list behind Barry Sanders. 

With Jeanty leading the way, Boise State finished 12-2 overall and reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Jeanty placed second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter. 

Jeanty wrapped up his Boise State career with 750 carries for 4,769 yards and 56 total touchdowns. A two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Year, Jeanty won the 2024 Maxwell Award (college football player of the year) and Doak Walker Award (best running back in college football).

Jeanty and the Raiders agreed to a fully guaranteed four-year,  $35.9 million rookie contract in May. He is the second-highest-paid running back in the NFL behind Philadelphia Eagles superstar Saquon Barkley ($36 million guaranteed). 

Boise State beach volleyball star Nora Hayd is also a finalist for a pair of NIL Store Awards. 

Hayd is up for Top-Earning Female Olympic Athlete of the Year and Most Innovative Design Collaboration for her Goth T-shirt. 

The 6-foot-1 Hayd is entering her junior season with the Boise State beach volleyball team. She is a graduate of Bothell High School in Washington. 

The NIL Store launched in 2021 in Chicago. According to its website, the NIL Store “serves as a merchandising solution for student-athletes and schools across the country. The NIL Store operates with the firm belief that every student-athlete has an opportunity to capitalize on their NIL and should earn industry-leading payouts.”