Florida Gators 2022 Recruit Profile: RB Damari Alston
Damari Alston, Running Back
School: Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.)
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 205 pounds
Recruitment History
Still relatively early in his recruiting cycle, Woodward Academy running back, Damari Alston, enter his junior season with a whopping 36 college offers sitting on the table this fall.
With the offers spanning from coast to coast across the United States, Alston has drawn interest from the likes of Oregon, Utah, Colorado, and California on the west coast as well as Michigan, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and—of course—Florida representing the east coast.
After being offered by the Gators just over a month ago on June 16th, Alston has begun to build a strong relationship with running backs coach Greg Knox, a good sign for the likelihood of landing who’s set to be one of the premier running backs in the 2022 class.
As a highly pursued individual, the all-purpose back has his fair share of options to pick from and the time to add more to his already illustrious list. However, with a top twelve set to be announced “soon,” according to Alston, Florida currently sits atop the pack as the leader, with Michigan and Georgia Tech following close behind.
Where He Fits
Containing a unique skill set that has future star written all over it, Alston brings an explosive presence to any backfield he is apart of.
Standing at 5-10, 205 lbs., Alston presents an already good size for the collegiate level. Accounting for over 1,300 all-purpose yards in a split backfield for Woodward Academy in 2019, Alston averaged 5.7 yards per carry and added 12 total touchdowns during his sophomore campaign.
With desirable traits, including a combination of speed, great vision, and physicality, Alston excels both hitting the hole between the tackles and bouncing it outside into the open field.
However, the attribute that pops off the film of the Georgia product is his acceleration. Pointing out his acceleration as a strength of his during an interview with SIAllGators' immediately following his offer from Florida, the talented back can be seen using this burst and putting himself into an extra gear to burn past defenders for extra yardage or a touchdown, multiple times throughout his film.
When reaching the second level of the defense, it isn’t very often that opposing players can bring him down the first attempt. While speed and acceleration may be his strong suit, his lower body strength is unquestioned and allows him to bounce off defenders with ease.
On top of the traits he holds rushing the football, Alston adds top-notch pass catcher, to the list of things he does well. In fact, due to the loss of skill position players to graduation following last season for Woodward, he is likely to see more time from the slot position in the upcoming year.
With soft hands in the passing game and the breakaway speed and acceleration to escape would-be tacklers when he breaks into the open field, Alston fits into the mold of versatile running backs—like Lamical Perine—who have seen success one way or another in Dan Mullen’s backfield.
Playing in a similar spread system to Florida’s right now at Woodward, Alston has said that he can see himself in the Gators offense and likes the opportunity that is presented to play early and often.
Mentioning how he wants to be more deliberate in his lateral movement—rather than relying on the natural instincts he already possesses in the category—there are areas of his game he still needs to work on.
However, as we currently stand, Alston is one of the most complete backs of the 2022 class, and one that will be a coveted prize for the coaching staff that gets to work with him for four years.
Despite being far from his finished product, he still has time to build upon his skill set before he reaches the next level. As a result, Alston is destined to be a feature back at the Division-1 program that acquires his services.
Right now, that program could very well be UF, a feat that Knox and Co. will continue to work on accomplishing. If they do, Alston will be frequently seen in the backfield as early as his true freshman season.
Featured image credit: Maria Golick