State College will be the center of the college football world this weekend as No. 3 Penn State hosts No. 4 Ohio State in the biggest game of the day.
Will the Nittany Lions finally be able to knock off Ohio State and continue their march to a possible conference championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff?
Both ESPN’s College GameDay; and Fox’s ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ will host their pregame show from Beaver Stadium, the atmosphere will no doubt be electric.
This is the ideal setting to host major high school recruits and that’s no doubt what James Franklin and his staff will be doing, as hundreds of recruits from all around the country will make their way to Happy Valley.
One of the many recruits scheduled to attend this mega matchup is 2026 4-star running back Shaun Alston from Painesville, Ohio.
The 5-foot-9, 205-pound back received his offer from Penn State on July 27th and also holds offers from programs such as Auburn, Boston College, Baylor, Cincinnati, Florida, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, USC, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
This won’t be his first visit to Penn State, but this no doubt will be the biggest game that Alston has attended and he’s very much looking forward to it.
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Courtesy Shaun Alston
“Going into this visit, I knew it would be a big game. With a lot of things on the line, I want to see the atmosphere of this game,” Alston told NSN. “I’ve never been on a Gameday visit to Penn State, so this would give me a great idea on how it would feel to play in Happy Valley. I’m anticipating it to be loud and energetic!”
Alston obviously has opportunities to play at many big programs, but Penn State is a place that’s high on his list. NSN asked Alston for an update on his talks with the Nittany Lions staff and what stands out about them.
“My relationship with Penn State has been great! I’ve been in communication with a handful of coaches and recruiting coordinators such as Coach Seider (RB coach) Coach Walker (asst RB coach) Coach Slim (recruiting) Coach Ahmad. Hearing from someone typically every day. Penn State is definitely a top team in my recruitment,” said Alston.
“A couple things that stand out to me is the relationships they’ve built with me. They do a great job in developing running backs as well as their play style, and the environment itself that I’ve experienced. It feels like one family out there.”
247 Sports ranks Alston as one of the Top 100 overall players in the Class of 2026 and the No. 9 running back in the country.
