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Michigan State football target Shahn Alston discusses the moment it all came together

Posted on by Vaseline
Michigan State football target Shahn Alston discusses the moment it all came together

Michigan State 2026 prospect, four-star running back Shahn Alston, is one of the best players in his class. He sits just outside of 247Sports’ Top 100 rankings.

I spoke with Alston and his coach/father, Rahshahn. Alston has many desirable qualities. Running back coach Keith Bhonapha likes his vision as a ball carrier, his angry running style, his frame and his touch point and stance. Alston is a promising candidate, but he is also the right expectation.

Especially for this regime, which wants to gain a foothold in Ohio and the greater Midwest as a whole.

In his conversation with Rahshahn, he gave me insight into the moment he knew his son was special, more than just a cut above the rest in ability.

Here was the story:

“When he went into his freshman year, I asked the woman and said, ‘Hey, where’s Shahn?’ She said, “He’s in the park.” I said, what is he doing in the park? She said, “He asked if he could go down and train.” From that day on it seemed like he had taken on a completely different persona and things have really taken off since then. I mean, he works out twice a day, whether it’s running or lifting weights, gymnastics, stretching, things like that. .He just started taking initiative himself. He hasn’t looked back and for me, as a father, I think, ‘Oh man, yeah, yeah, it’s about time!’ Because these are the things I’ve been preaching to him all these years, and the fact that I don’t have to say a word to him about anything football-related, I think, ‘Yeah, he gets it now.’

You can’t coach the gifts Alston has, but his work ethic is what sets him apart and takes him far in the game of football. When I spoke to Alston, I asked him about that story. He gave me his side of the matter.

Alston said the original dream was to go far in basketball. Yes, one of the best football players in the class of 2026 had hoops dreams. But there was one problem: He knew he wasn’t going to the 6-foot-2 man who “jumped out of the gym.”

“One day I really sat back and decided, ‘What’s the best opportunity for me to go to college for free?’” Alston said. “And I knew it was football because I was always good, just with my raw talent. So one day I decided I was going to go all in for this and since that day it’s been something every day, consistently every day. Whether it’s stretching, or training, or footwork drills. So one day it just clicked for me, I think it’s been a straight path ever since.”

Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s recruiting beat writer at Michigan State and covers all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

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