Boise State's Ashton Genty feels he "should have walked away" with the Heisman, motivated to get better - ORSOLTECH

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Ginty He led the nation with 2,497 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns during the 2024 season and led the team to a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Ginty's numbers, in any other year, probably would have guaranteed him a Heisman Trophy. But this season, he faced a two-way star Travis Hunter and Colorado teammate Shader Sanders. It was a tough round, but Ginty finished second behind Hunter.

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Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Genty, of Boise State, poses with the trophy during a college football news conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Hunter was the second of the pair to win the Heisman Trophy after Michigan legend Charles Woodson. He was the first non-quarterback to win the award since wide receiver DeVonta Smith won it at Alabama during the 2020 season.

But Ginty said he felt he had done enough to win the title.

“I really felt like I should have walked away from the award, but kudos to Travis for winning,” he said Saturday night. Via ESPN. “But yeah, it's that simple. Work harder, try harder.”

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Boise State running back Ashton Genty celebrates after winning the offensive player of the Mountain West championship game against UNLV, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner, File)

Jeanty received 309 first place votes. He said he was motivated “100%” by failing to win the Heisman Trophy.

“There is a lot to come,” he added. “This is not the end, this is just the beginning. So I have to do it a lot more to get the things I want.”

Genty won the Maxwell Trophy as college football's top player and the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top player.