Auburn added a piece in their arms race with the SEC – and specifically with Alabama – as head coach Bryan Harsin beat the likes of LSU, Penn State, and Northwestern to secure the commitment of class of 2022 running back Damari Alston.
By Steve Wright
Damari Alston – a 4-star recruit out of Woodward Academy (Atlanta, GA) – is the No. 300 overall prospect in the class per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is rated by the same service as the No. 28 running back recruit in the class and the No. 27 player in Georgia.
The 5-foot-10, 205 pounder rushed for over 1,500 yards and scored 25 touchdowns on the ground as an unstoppable force during his junior season in 2020. He also shows ability as a receiving option out of the backfield as he added another 229 yards (on 22 catches) for two additional scores.
In the video below you can see why Alston is regarded as one of the premier physical backs in the class of 2022. Alston is a throwback of sorts – a thick and powerful back that seeks contact rather than avoiding it – and at the college level this will mean he is the ideal candidate for turning a two-yard gain into a seven-yard rush for a first down. This will make him invaluable down the line in Harsin’s offense.
Alston has enough speed for it to be a problem for defenses, with the second play on the video showing the damage he can do on a one-cut run. On the play, he breaks at least six tackles – most of them with the tackling player in an ideal position to stop the play at the point of contact – before showing that functional speed to power down the sideline to score. There are numerous plays like this on the video with Alston proving time and time again that an arm tackle is never going to be enough to take him to the ground. Damari Alston’s balance and style of play will make him a firm favorite with the Tigers’ fans right out of the gate.
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