USC Trojans To Land 4-Star Running Back Recruit Shahn Alston Over Penn State, Wisconsin?

The USC Trojans are among the top three schools for four-star running back Shahn Alston. Alston will announce his commitment on Jan. 11 at the Navy All-American Bowl. He will pick between USC, the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Wisconsin Badgers.

Shahn Alston visiting USC during a game day. / Shahn Alston/X

2026 four-star running back Shahn Alston will announce his commitment on Jan. 11 at the Navy All-American Bowl. Alston has officially stated his top three schools, and the USC Trojans are among his final choices with a decision coming this month.

Alston is the No. 136 player in the nation, the No. 13 running back, and the No. 5 player from Ohio, per the On3 Industry Rankings. The Trojans have been heavily pursuing Alston as they build a strong recruiting class of 2026.

Alston spoke with On3, detailing each of his final three schools. Along with USC, Alston has narrowed it down to the Wisconsin Badgers and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Whatever his decision is, Alston will play in the Big Ten conference in 2026.

Shahn Alston visiting USC during a game day. / Shahn Alston/X

When speaking about his final three schools, Alston spoke highly about USC’s football program. He also talked about the educational side of Southern Cal.

“I liked the overall vibe I got from the school. It’s a great football school and it has a lot of tradition and history. . . . The academics are great too. You get the best of both worlds there. You can play at the highest level of college football and you can get a great education,” Alston told On3. “That’s one of the things that caught my eye and like I said, they compete at the highest level. . . . If you look at their games, all of their losses besides one was by less than seven points. That could’ve taken them from a 6-6 team to an 11-1 team. That really opened my eyes.”

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The Trojans had a disappointing season ending the year 6-6, but they kept each game close. The worst loss of the season was against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who will play in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans also defeated the Texas A&M Aggies in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Aggies were a tough competitor, only having four losses in the regular season, but USC played until the end to get the win.

Alston’s mind has been made up, but he is ready to reveal his decision. The running back talked about the process of the tough decision.

“This decision has been really tough because I’m big on relationships and I have relationships with all three of these teams,” Alston said. “All of these teams contacted me early on. These three teams probably contacted me earlier than all of the other Power Four schools that offered me."

2026 Four-Star running back Shahn Alston / @Shahnalston3 / X / @Shahnalston3 / X

Alston visited USC in November when the Trojans defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 28-20. This visit pushed USC to the top of his list with Penn State and Wisconsin.

“The meetings I had were definitely the biggest highlight. I built great connections and learned a lot. The campus tour was also great,” Alston said. “I got a good feeling for the campus and could see myself living there.”

The USC Trojans have been the favorite to land Alston since his visit in November. His decision will be announced on Jan. 11 at the Navy All-American Bowl, where he will participate. USC has the No. 2 2026 recruiting class and Alston would be another key recruit early in the process.

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