Boise State has its next star running back. But he may only be here 1 more year
Heading into the 2025 football season, sophomore running back Dylan Riley almost seemed like an afterthought.
The 5-foot-10, speedy halfback showed flashes of brilliance during his freshman campaign, such as scoring a 64-yard touchdown against Portland State in his collegiate debut.
However, he entered the 2025 season all the way down in fourth on the running back depth chart. Redshirt freshman phenom Sire Gaines was expected to have a big year, while veteran bodies like sixth-year transfer Malik Sherrod and junior Jambres Dubar would play supporting cast.
Essentially, Riley was one for the future.
“I honestly thought I was going to go out there and be able to start,” Riley admitted on Tuesday afternoon when looking back to the start of the season.
However, as it turned out, the future was a lot closer than many anticipated.
Heading into Boise State’s LA Bowl matchup against Washington this weekend, Riley has established himself as the Broncos’ RB1.
He leads the team in rushing yards as the only player with over 1,000 yards on the ground (1,091) and has enjoyed five games of rushing for at least 100 yards, including a 201-yard game against UNLV in October. He’s cemented himself in the starting role over the past month, carrying the ball at least 21 times in three of the past four games.
“The coaches seen something that I didn’t, and that’s something I accepted, but the only thing I did was just be patient and work my tail off,” Riley said. “The coaches started noticing, and that’s all I ask for, is that as long as you see me working, then you give me the opportunity.”
Bronco fans entered the season wondering who would be the guy to replace 2024 Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty, who stormed to a historic 2,601 rushing yards last season. And, lo and behold, it turned out to be the person who talks to Jeanty once a week to step up.
Riley and Jeanty have remained in touch throughout the season. While Riley was working his way up the Boise State depth chart, Jeanty has been trying to find success with a struggling Las Vegas Raiders team that is tied for the worst record and fewest points scored in the entire NFL. Unsurprisingly to Bronco fans, Jeanty leads the Raiders in touchdowns with four rushing and four receiving scores.
The pair talk about everything, from fun chitchat to discussing schemes and how Riley can get his body healthy as his load increases. Riley will also ask what life is like in the NFL and how much harder pro defenses are to go up against compared to college.
Riley isn’t asking questions about the NFL just for the fun of it. He said that’s where he wants to end up, and sooner rather than later.
“I get to ask things (about the NFL), and it gets me prepared,” Riley said. “Because I want to be able to leave sometime soon, around (the time) he left.”
Jeanty was drafted sixth overall by the Raiders at the end of his junior year, meaning if Riley wants to emulate the guy who came before him, he’s only got one year left as a Bronco.
Of course, if Riley follows Jeanty’s path to a tee, Bronco fans won’t be too upset about having him for only one more year if it means adding yet another running back to Boise State’s vaunted list of big-time running backs.
Riley knows putting up a season akin to Jeanty’s 2024 year is a big ask, but he’s instead excited to continue working alongside Gaines and the Broncos’ next up-and-coming running back, freshman Greg Ard. Gaines is the Broncos’ second-leading rusher in 2025 with 810 yards, while Ard hasn’t featured for the Broncos this year.
“We already play explosive, and we know the standard here,” Riley said. “And so, especially coming into next year, I know there are little things that we have to tweak and get better at, and me and Sire, I know we’re going to work with that. And Greg, getting him better, because once we start getting him in the scene, then we’re back and rolling.”
Boise State vs. Washington
- When: 6 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
- Where: SoFi Stadium (70,240, turf), Inglewood, California
- TV: ABC (Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM / 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State 9-4, 6-2 Mountain West; Washington 8-4, 5-4 Big Ten
- Series: Washington leads the series 4-2
- Betting line: Washington by 8.5
- Weather: 68 degrees, low clouds and fog, 6% chance of rain
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 4:43 PM.
