MSU Football Suffers Massive Blow in Recruiting
Michigan State is targeting the state of Ohio's stellar 2026 class heavily. It is star-studded and deep, and the Spartans want to cement themselves as a premiere destination for the Midwest's top talent.
One of the key players Michigan State and Jonathan Smith wanted bad was four-star Harvey running back Shahn Alston. Alston is the No. 7 running back in the country and the No. 118 overall player, per 247Sports, a 5-foot-9, 205-pound ball carrier who runs with anger and has plenty of shiftiness in his arsenal.
Alston is to make his decision at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 11. It just won't be the Spartans. Instead, Alston will pick from three Big Ten rivals -- Wisconsin, Penn State, or USC, per his social media. The crystal ball has favored the Trojans for some time now.
The Spartans seemed to be in great position with Alston, who liked running backs coach Keith Bhonapha and the program. I spoke with Alston's father, Rahshahn, who was a big fan as well.
"I pride myself as being one of those that can sniff out the B.S., and he came off as someone who is a very genuine person, and that's so relieving to me because we've been on recruiting visits where it's like, 'OK, come on Coach'," Alston's father had told me. "Like, 'Hey, yeah alright, you've done told this same story to 10 other running backs that have been up this way.' So, just the genuineness that he came from, he seemed to be a straight shooter. He said some things that basically separated himself to me, that made him stand out."
When I spoke with Alston this fall after his visit and his offer, he discussed the relationship with Bhonapha.
"He expressed how he liked my tape and also the things he wanted me to improve on, and that's what I did over the offseason," Alston said. "I made that a priority, and I was able to showcase it this year. He liked my physicality; my physicality was one of the main things he liked. He also expressed how he liked my vision and my contact balance. He wanted to see me improve to get better at getting inside and outside of cuts quicker and a quicker burst. And I feel like, like I said earlier, I worked on that all offseason and I showcased it this year."
Michigan State has suffered another defeat on the recruiting trail. That being said, it has an entire calendar year to get back after Alston if it feels he is truly its future at tailback.
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering 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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