If you’ve watched even five minutes of Boise State or Las Vegas Raiders football over the last couple of years, you’ve seen it. It’s hard to miss. While every other running back in the country is hunched over, hands on knees, coiled like a spring, Ashton Jeanty is just… standing there.
He looks like he’s waiting for a bus. Or, as some fans on social media have famously dubbed it, he looks like Michael Myers staring at a victim from across the street. The Ashton Jeanty pre snap stance is easily the most unorthodox thing about a player who is already a walking highlight reel.
But here’s the thing: it’s not a gimmick. It’s not just "aura farming," though it certainly does look cool. There is a specific, functional logic behind why a 2,600-yard rusher decides to ignore a century of coaching and stand straight up in the backfield.
The Mystery of the Vertical Alignment
Most coaches will tell you that a running back needs to be low to be explosive. The logic is basic physics. You want your center of gravity down so you can push off and accelerate the moment the ball hits your hands.
Jeanty disagrees.
Standing 5'9" and weighing in at a rock-solid 215 pounds, Jeanty isn't exactly a tall guy. When he stands straight up, his eye level is roughly the same as a 6'2" back who is slightly crouched. This is the first big secret. By staying vertical, he’s maximizing his vision.
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He’s looking over the messy forest of offensive and defensive linemen. He can see the safeties rotating. He can see the nickel back creeping up for a blitz. Most backs see the "what" of a play—the hole opening up. Jeanty, from that high vantage point, sees the "why."
The Chip Kelly Conflict
When Jeanty was drafted by the Raiders in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, his stance became an immediate point of contention. Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, a man known for being a bit of a stickler for "the way things are done," reportedly told Jeanty to ditch the upright look on day one of rookie minicamp.
Kelly even used a basketball analogy to make his point. He asked Jeanty how he’d guard someone on the court. Jeanty, obviously, dropped into a defensive slide. Kelly’s point? You can’t move laterally if you’re standing tall.
For a few weeks in the 2025 preseason and the start of the regular season, we saw a "traditional" Ashton Jeanty. He was hunched over. He looked like everyone else. And honestly? The production wasn't quite the same. The Raiders' run game was struggling, and Jeanty looked like he was thinking too much instead of just playing.
The Return of the Stand-Up
Then came Week 4 against Chicago. Something clicked. Jeanty went back to the "Michael Myers" stance. He finished that game with 138 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
Pete Carroll, now the Raiders' head coach, eventually admitted he loved the change back. Sometimes, as Jeanty himself put it in a press conference, you just have to prove that something works before people stop trying to "fix" it.
Why the Ashton Jeanty Pre Snap Stance Works
If you ask Jeanty, the reason for the stance is surprisingly simple: he wants to breathe.
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That sounds like a joke, but it’s real. During his historic 2024 season at Boise State, Jeanty was carrying the ball 30 or even 40 times a game. When you’re the entire offense, you get tired.
"I gotta catch my breath, too," he once told a reporter. "I probably just ran for 60, 70 yards, and I'm going to get the ball again."
By standing straight up, he allows his lungs to fully expand. He’s not compressed. He’s relaxed. A relaxed muscle is a fast muscle. If you’re tensed up in a crouch for 10 seconds while the quarterback is barking out signals, you’re burning energy. Jeanty stays loose until the millisecond the ball is snapped.
Masking the Play Call
Another tactical advantage that scouts have noted is the lack of "tells."
Many running backs inadvertently give away the play based on their stance.
- If they’re leaning forward, it’s a run.
- If they’re sitting back on their heels, they’re pass-blocking.
- If they’re slightly angled, they’re running a route.
Jeanty looks the exact same every single time. Whether he’s about to take an inside zone handoff, stone a blitzing linebacker, or leak out for a screen pass, he’s just standing there. It’s maddening for defensive coordinators because they can't get a read on his intentions.
Is it a New Trend?
We are starting to see other backs follow suit. Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions has a similarly upright stance. Nick Chubb has been known to do it occasionally.
But Jeanty has made it his signature.
It’s important to acknowledge that this doesn't work for everyone. If you don't have Jeanty’s elite "zero-to-sixty" acceleration, standing straight up will just make you slow to the hole. Jeanty gets away with it because his first step is violent. He can go from a dead standstill to full speed faster than almost anyone in the league.
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What This Means for Scouts and Coaches
The success of the Ashton Jeanty pre snap stance is a classic case of "results over process."
In the modern NFL, there is a tendency to over-coach players—to try and fit every athlete into a specific mechanical mold. Jeanty is a reminder that some players have an intuitive sense of what their body needs to perform.
If a guy is rushing for 2,600 yards in a season, his stance isn't the problem.
Actionable Insights for Players
If you're a young running back looking at Jeanty and thinking about standing up, keep these things in mind:
- Vision first: Only stand up if it actually helps you see the defense better. If you’re 6'1", you probably don't need the extra height.
- Explosiveness is non-negotiable: You must be able to drop your hips and explode instantly. If you find yourself "gathering" before you move, go back to the crouch.
- Efficiency: Use the time pre-snap to recover. Relax your shoulders. Deep breaths.
- Consistency: The goal is to hide your intentions. If you only stand up on pass plays, you’re doing the defense a favor.
The Ashton Jeanty pre snap stance might look weird, and it might make old-school coaches pull their hair out, but it’s a masterclass in functional individuality. In a game of inches, Jeanty found a way to gain an extra few by simply standing tall.
Track Jeanty's stance in his upcoming games to see how defensive fronts react to his alignment. Observe whether he stays vertical on third-and-long situations, as this is often where the stance provides the most significant advantage for pass protection recognition.