Raider enjoys Boise State connection with star back as UNLV looms

Raiders running back Alexander Mattison had no idea the UNLV football team plays at Allegiant Stadium, the same place his NFL team calls home.

All he knew, as he stood by his locker in Henderson on Wednesday, was that he planned to watch the Rebels attempt to contain Ashton Jeanty in their Mountain West showdown against Boise State on Friday.

“Well, that’s easier,” Mattison said once informed by chuckling reporters that the Rebels stopped playing at Sam Boyd Stadium in 2019.

Simple or not, the Raiders’ leading rusher wouldn’t have missed a chance to see the nation’s leading rusher play in Las Vegas.

Mattison, who played three seasons at Boise State before he was drafted in the third round in 2019 by the Minnesota Vikings, sees himself in Jeanty. But as the relationship between the running backs has developed, Mattison doesn’t necessarily see himself as a mentor to the Heisman Trophy favorite.

Mattison’s I Am Gifted foundation hosts annual football and life skills camps. The endeavor brought him back to Boise State in 2022, right before Jeanty’s freshman year. Mattison introduced himself to Jeanty and watched the freshman go on to make an immediate impact for the Broncos.

Jeanty recorded 821 rushing yards in his first collegiate season, and he’s only gotten better with each campaign. After rushing for 1,347 yards in 2023, Jeanty is poised to beat Hall of Famer Barry Sanders’ NCAA single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards this year.

Jeanty has 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns through six games this season.

“I’m trying to just stay in his ear as much as I can,” Mattison said. “It’s just like checking in with each other, sending each other videos, seeing how he’s doing. He’s checking in on me. Sometimes he’ll have a question, and I’m able to provide some mentorship there. But just really trying to have a regular off-the-field relationship as two young men in this world trying to do the best they can in this sport.”

In his sixth NFL season, Mattison has plenty of perspective for Jeanty.

“Last night I was talking to him,” Mattison said. “I told him it’s a shark world. Once you cross over into the NFL, everybody wants something from you, a favor or anything like that.”

No NIL at Boise

For all Mattison’s efforts to be a resource to Jeanty, there are just some things he can’t help with: the name, image and likeness deals that dominate the current college sports landscape, for one.

The NCAA didn’t allow athletes to be paid for NIL until 2020.

“I always think, like, I wish we had that,” Mattison said, “Me and my boys, we would’ve had a ball at Boise. We already had our faces on the side of the stadium, in the mall and stuff, but we couldn’t get paid. There were no deals.”

But when Mattison talks to Jeanty, his sentiment changes. Jeanty recently told Mattison that he had to get a second phone strictly for staying informed on his NIL opportunities.

“And that phone just is always blowing up,” Mattison said. “I don’t wish that on anyone really, especially dealing with school on top of that.”

Jeanty likely could have transferred to a school outside of the Mountain West last offseason and tripled his income, but he decided to stay at Boise.

“I’m not surprised,” Mattison said when asked about Jeanty’s loyalty. “I see a lot of me in him from that standpoint. It’s like, stay true to who you are.”

‘One of one’

As Mattison noted, he and Jeanty have a lot in common. Their similarities range from philanthropic efforts to their numbers.

Boise State unveiled a scholarship in Jeanty’s name for future student-athletes on Tuesday, and Mattison donates thousands of dollars in scholarships for students in his hometown of San Bernardino, California.

Mattison was nicknamed “Deuce” as he grew up wearing the No. 2. He shifted to No. 22 midway through high school and has stuck with the number. To Mattison’s relief, Jeanty wears No. 2, so the alum’s mark on Boise State won’t be fully lost and forgotten.

If you ask UNLV coach Barry Odom, there is no one to compare to Jeanty, and Mattison agrees.

“He’s one of one,” the Raider said.

With Jeanty on the Broncos’ side, Mattison is confident his alma mater will get a win Friday, though he said he admires UNLV’s resiliency after the departure of quarterback Matthew Sluka three games into the season.

“I’m a guy who likes to give respect,” he said. “I’m just confident that we’re gonna go in and take care of business, whatever the score outcome is.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.