“I remember the first time really playing football, like earliest days,” he said. “I was in Virginia. We’re living on the base, and just kind of running around, you know, playing against all the kids on the base and, you know, just being crazy out there. From there, I just fell in love with football.”
Adjustment quickly became a theme in Ashton’s life. He never could have predicted he’d end up across the globe learning the fundamentals of football on a military base.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I didn’t even really know where [Italy] was on the map as a young kid. … It was a crazy experience to tell my teammates, my coaches, all my friends that in a month or so I’ll be packing up, moving overseas and you’ll probably never see me again.”
Through it all, Harry made sure his son was able to play the game he loved wherever they went. His military background also paved a way for his son to pick up specialized traits needed to be an elite athlete.
“Hard work and discipline, the military teaches you those things,” Harry Jeanty told Raiders.com. “And if you take them with you, you can pass them on. Same thing I’ve done. I think what speaks volumes about that is the fact that he was able to kind of see me wake up early, doing those things on long days. I believe he learned from that. He operates himself in that way. It pays big dividends.”
At Naples Middle School in Gricignano di Aversa, Italy, Jeanty stood out like a sore thumb. But in a way, that wasn’t such a bad thing.
His athletic ability quickly made him the one of the best players within the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), excelling as both a football and basketball player.
“He wouldn’t go down on the first hit. He was explosive,” Ashton’s head coach at Naples, John Davis, previously told the Associated Press. “You just felt like you’re always sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for him. You know, next touch might be a touchdown.”
As Ashton’s athletic prowess continued to grow, it became evident he had the potential to play Division I college football. Yet it would be difficult to showcase how good he was while living in Europe. Davis encouraged Jeanty to return to the United States to gain greater exposure and seize the opportunity play against top competition.
“Playing football in Italy was fun. But, you know, it wasn’t the most competitive,” Ashton said. “Getting to travel and see different aspects of different countries and then going to Germany, going to Spain, going to different places around Italy, it was amazing getting to play the sport I love but also experiencing different cultures and different foods – that’s what everybody wants to do.”