On the Plains with Damari Alston: ‘Worth the wait’

Playing behind Jarquez Hunter the last two years and Tank Bigsby the year before that, Damari Alston has been used as a change-of-pace running back since he arrived at Auburn in 2022. He might only get five carries in a game, so he’s had to make the most of his opportunities. 

One of those opportunities came last year in the first half against Arkansas. Alston checked into the game to spell Hunter. On his first snap, he took the handoff, started left and then raced up the sideline, weaving in and out of blocks. He hit another gear, but as he approached the goal line, the ball got stripped. Instead of scoring a touchdown to potentially tie the game, he fumbled into the end zone where Arkansas recovered. 

What was about to be a career highlight for Alston turned into a moment to forget. 

“That was probably one of the toughest moments of my college career just because I knew how I could have changed the game,” Alston said. “That’s a time where I was in my room just beating myself up, not talking to anybody, crying – lots of tears. Lots of pain comes with this game. 

“After that moment, I was like, ‘I’m going to be all right.’ It made me tougher.”

It was another learning experience for Alston, who responded with carries of 10 or more yards in each of the next two games. He's thrived in his role the last three seasons, rushing for 681 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. This season, however, with Hunter moving on to the NFL, Alston is expected to take over as the lead running back for the first time in his career. 

“This year is my last year, first year starting,” he said. “It seems like the perfect situation, like I’m supposed to be here. It’s worth the wait. I’m just ready to do some big things this year.”

In this day and age of college football, it would have been easy for Alston to transfer. Many players in his same position, second or third on the depth chart, have transferred. Why wait when you can go somewhere else and be the lead guy? 

Not Alston. The Atlanta native knew what he was getting into when he committed to Auburn. He knew who was in front of him, and he knew if he ever wanted to be the starting running back, he would have to earn it. 

“I knew everything was going to be a process,” Alston recalled. “I knew everything was going to work out on God’s timing. Just talking to Him, talking to God, getting closer with Him – He has really made me realize what it means to be patient. He’s taught me so many lessons. 

“Football has taught me a lot. Just being patient and not just running to where I think comfort is. I love being uncomfortable because it makes me stronger as a man. I feel like at some point everything is just going to fall into place how it’s supposed to, so I’m just going to stick it out. Everything here is meant for me.”

Alston has grown up a lot since he first stepped foot on campus, becoming mentally tough, but the mentality hasn’t changed. It doesn’t matter if you’re the starter or if you’re fourth on the depth chart. It’s always been work, work, work – outwork the person next to you. 

Even now, when the experts are talking up this running back or that running back, Alston knows he’s going to outwork all of them. Not only was he not one of the six running backs named to the Preseason Media Days All-SEC Team, but he wasn’t even on the voting ballot. That’s just added motivation to work harder. 

“I’ve always been underrated and overlooked,” he said. “I really think about that a lot. A lot of the guys they’re talking about now – it doesn’t really matter to me – but I’m like, ‘I can’t let any of these guys outwork me. I’ve got to go do this. I’ve got to do that.’ I’m just trying to push myself to be better each and every day. That’s really it.

“I have this thing instilled within me. ‘Go be great.’ Every rep, you shouldn’t take it for granted. I know how fast this can be stripped from you. I’ve seen it happen to so many players. I don’t want to be in that position. I don’t want to be in a position where it’s like, ‘I should have done this’ or ‘I should have done that.’ I'm just trying to take advantage of everything that’s given to me.”

Being overlooked is part of the "why" for Alston. He's also the first one in his family to be in a position to start for a top-tier SEC football program. He’s the first to potentially be in a position to go to the NFL. Plus, he’s in a position to graduate from Auburn this fall with a degree in marketing. 

Now it’s on the senior to go out there and take advantage of the opportunities in front of him.

“It’s no pressure at all,” Alston said. “I know what I can do and the God-given talents that I have, and all I’ve got to do is go out there and do what I do.”

Last year, when Auburn opened the season at home against Alabama A&M, Alston watched as Hunter introduced himself as the team’s starting running back on the videoboard. This year, it will likely be Alston introducing himself with the other starters and running out on the field with the rest of the offense for the first snap. 

“It’s going to mean a lot to me,” Alston said. “It’s going to be the start of a new legendary season, the start of a season that I hope is not forgotten by any of the Auburn Family. I’m looking to make history this year. Not only me but with my teammates and how far we go this year. 

“I want the fans to remember this season and remember that he was a great player, an amazing player, but off the field, he was an even greater person. Just speaking to everybody, giving everybody my full attention, my smile. I never have anything negative to say about this school because there’s nothing negative to say. The fans are everything to me, and I owe them a show. I owe them what they deserve. I feel like we all owe them that.”