‘We’re not Ashton’: In young Boise State RB room, a new leader says backs have big goals

Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Boise State junior running back Jambres Dubar said the quiet part out loud on Tuesday afternoon: “At the end of the day, we’re not Ashton.”

He’s not wrong by stating the obvious. New offensive coordinator Nate Potter said Monday that his offense would continue to run the football, even without superstar Ashton Jeanty, who’s NFL-bound after racking up 2,601 rushing yards in 2024 — the second most in a single season of all time.

Dubar knows that he, or anyone else in Boise State’s running back room, won’t touch the heights that Jeanty reached last year. Instead, Dubar is taking a page from “Moneyball”: The Broncos can try to re-create Jeanty in the aggregate.

He and redshirt freshman running back Sire Gaines have made a goal heading into 2025.

“I don’t think we’re gonna touch 2,600, but the goal is to get over 1,000 (each),” Dubar said.

Potter said Monday that the coaching staff hasn’t decided whether there will be an outright RB1 or running back by committee this season. Regardless, it’s likely that both Dubar and Gaines will be in the thick of the conversation.

Both players experienced mixed seasons in 2024, hampered by injuries and the fact that they were sitting behind Jeanty. Gaines appeared in just three games, racking up 156 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, but 110 of those yards came in the season opener at Georgia Southern.

Meanwhile, Dubar played in seven games, managing 99 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but saw limited action as he also dealt with injuries that started before the season even started.

“If you get dinged up in the fall, it’s hard to catch a rhythm as the season’s going, because it’s going really fast,” running backs coach James Montgomery said Tuesday.

Dubar enjoyed a nine-carry, 65-yard game against Utah State in early October, but otherwise, he didn’t see more than five carries or 22 yards in any other game. This all came after a freshman campaign in which he had four games with at least 10 carries.

Dubar admitted that he “got into his head” last season because of his injuries, and didn’t feel truly “locked in” until the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Dubar got in the game a couple of times as the Broncos fell to Penn State, including a 3-yard rush in the red zone to move the sticks on third down.

“It was a kind of rough season for me, to be honest,” Dubar said. “But this year, I’m hoping it’s different.”

Dubar has gained about 10 pounds since last season, bringing him up to 208. The fact that he’s fit and firing on all cylinders this offseason is a significant change.

“(Dubar) had some moments last year, Utah State and Wyoming, he did a really good job,” Montgomery said. “But with him, it’s just consistency and playing and playing and playing, because the reps that (he’s) getting right now are gold.”

Dubar also said he’s ready to step into a leadership position. He will be the longest-tenured and one of three upperclassmen in the running back room, alongside Fresno State transfer Malik Sherrod and Seth Knothe, a linebacker who moved to running back this offseason.

“It’s a bigger role, in my opinion. Just helping out like Dylan (Riley), and we just got a new guy in our room, Seth Knothe, so just helping him out, too,” Dubar said. “It’s different because last year I was leaning on Ash and (Tyler) Crowe, but now it’s different. So helping them out is pretty nice.”