2022 RB Damari Alston Sees Opportunity with Florida Gators
Given the fact that Florida has failed to land a running back out of high school for two years running, having a talented running back commit in upcoming recruiting cycles is a higher priority than ever.
One running back who not only exemplifies natural talent—that has him with 32 Division-1 offers to choose from—but fits perfectly into the mold of running backs coach Greg Knox and the Florida offense has had success with is Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) product, Damari Alston.
As a dynamic playmaker out of the backfield that can run between the tackles as well as burn his opponents down the sideline, Alston is a rare breed of running back that is difficult to find, especially as a rising junior in high school.
After being offered by the Gators on June 16th, Alston spoke in an exclusive interview with AllGators about his connection with his primary recruiter Greg Knox, his fit into the Gators offense, and what he’s looking for in the school he chooses.
“I’ve been talking to Coach Knox," Alston said. "He told me that he hasn’t signed a running back since 2019 and if he doesn’t sign a running back late in this class—the 2021 class—he’s picking up two running backs in the 2022 class which is a big opening for me because I’m looking for the opportunity to play, to step on the field my freshman year.”
Opportunity is a focal point for Alston during his recruitment. Throughout our discussion, Alston emphasized his desire to see the field early and often once he reaches the college level, a sales pitch Florida currently is inclined to offer.
Coming off a year in which he tallied a team-high 1,307 yards from scrimmage along with 12 touchdowns in a split backfield, Alston gears up for his most important season yet, with a high volume of touches in store as part two of the two-headed monster in the running back group graduated.
As a result, the expectations surrounding him are high, but the highest of all comes from himself.
“I’m probably going for about 2,000 [yards] all-purpose and about 20 to 25 touchdowns,” Alston said when asked about his goals for next season. “My individual goal is 1,500 rushing yards and if not 1,000 receiving yards also because I’m a good back that can be used in the passing game.”
Holding himself to high standards is a large part of Alston’s success to this point in his career but, the physical and athletic traits he possesses are exceptional, especially for someone with two years left to put the pieces all together.
Film Room
Speed and Acceleration
With a strong tendency to find the right running lanes and “hit the hole” with a full head of steam, Alston is able to burn opposing defenders with ease, and these plays are two of many from his film that exemplifies it.
In the first play, almost immediately after receiving the handoff, Alston hits the gap and explodes to the second level of the defense with a burst of speed. Once in the open field, Alston uses his vision to bounce to the boundary for an already sizable gain.
As he gets into full-stride down the sideline, he looks as if he’s about to be pushed out before he shifts into an extra gear, burning the would-be tackler—who took a solid tackling angle on him—to pick up an additional 15 yards and put Woodward in prime scoring position.
In the second play, Alston runs with a purpose. Once again, hitting the hole hard and quickly, he finds himself in the second level soon after receiving the handoff.
However, this time, there is no one there to stop him. His acceleration from the line into the secondary allows him to outrun a defender, once again shifting into the aforementioned second gear, and stroll into the end zone untouched for one of his twelve touchdowns on the year.
Noting his acceleration and ability to make people miss as a strength of his, it is no surprise that his tapes verified that exact thing. With an ability to explode into the open field and escape tacklers by simply outrunning them, Alston shows that he is ahead of standard development for a sophomore in high school.
Physicality
In this clip, Alston makes a beautiful effort-play and shows off his willingness to fight through contact and pick up extra yardage after the first contact in the process.
Being hit three yards past the line of scrimmage for the first time, Alston sheds off two back to back tacklers before using his lower body strength to carry bodies downfield to pick up an extra 15 yards after initial contact.
While his forte consists of speed and acceleration concepts mentioned in the last clip, being able to lower his shoulder and run through defenders complements the former beautifully, and makes him a more complete back in the process.
Pass Catching Ability
Being much more than a traditional running back, Alston stated his increase in usage in the slot for Woodward this the upcoming season and the importance of his role as a receiver for a team that lost multiple skill position players from last year's 13-1 run.
On this play, he shows he can be a reliable option in obvious passing situations. Coming out of the backfield, Alston gets out into flats, shows off his hands with a one-handed snag, turns upfield after the catch on his way into the end zone.
Having the hands to catch the football out of the backfield, as well as play out at the slot position at times, Alston adds an extra dimension to any offense he plays for. Able to not only make plays on the ground but through the passing game as well, coaches are eager to get a guy like him on campus.
Lateral Movement
“I’d probably say like I’m a good lateral guy, but it’s definitely something I need to work on, cutting back across the field, etc. Right now it looks natural I wanna make it, you know, more [refined].”
Here, Alston receives the handoff with a defender already in the backfield. Not panicking, Alston makes a beautiful jump cut to his left to create space before bursting through the hole for a substantial gain before finishing off the play with a vicious stiff-arm.
The easiest way to overcome a weakness is to replicate natural movements that one makes rather than have to learn them all together. In this case, Alston can do just that, which increases his chances to become more comfortable and confident laterally in the near future.
Final Thoughts
Alston is a special talent that possesses traits of explosiveness, speed, athleticism, physicality, and great vision. Still being far from his final form as a player given his age, Alston has a legitimate chance to be the number one running back in the class of 2022.
Given his muscular build, standing at 5-11, 205 lbs., Alston combines pure speed with the ability power through defenders at first contact and get extra yards. As a complete back that can play between the tackles or on the perimeter, Alston mentioned that Knox loves his ability to break tackles. “He told me that I have a good length, and I can break tackles easily,” Alston said.
Drawing a comparison to the Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs in terms of size and the plethora of skills they bring to the table, Alston projects to be a Power-5 starter from as early as freshman year in college.
As a dynamic playmaker that is a threat to do something special whenever the ball is in his hands, Alston will have his fair share of options when his time comes to choose where he wants to continue his playing career.
Showing significant interest in the University of Florida right now, Alston would be a substantial land for Greg Knox and the Florida backfield when his time comes. Going on record to say that academics, relationship with coaches—on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball—and team culture are critical of where he goes to school, Florida looks to fit Alston’s criteria at the moment.
On top of that, Alston proceeded to note: “They [UF] run the same offense that my high school runs right now, so I can see myself already being put into the system already know how to run [it], already knowing the scheme of things, and I feel like I could develop really fast at Florida.”
Looking to narrow down his top schools after his junior year to ten, Alston expressed that Florida is currently in the mix of those schools by saying, “I’m keeping things patient right now, but Florida is definitely, I know, going to be one of the top.”