Shahn Alston enters his senior year ranked as the consensus top running back from Ohio in the Class of 2026, and he’s been committed to USC since January 11.
Alston plays for the Harvey High School Red Raiders of Painesville, Ohio, a member of the OHSAA’s Division III ranks. Even with a 4-star talent like Alston in the backfield, Harvey has been stuck in neutral, finishing 5-5 in each of the past four seasons including the past three with Alston leading the attack. Until last year, however, the Red Raiders had managed to stay above .500 in the Chagrin Conference, but 2024 saw them finish underwater at 2-3 in the final league standings.
Harvey is the alma mater of Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, the NFL’s all-time leader in head coaching wins, but in the Red Raiders’ case, it’s the lack of a winning tradition and a scant postseason history that has defined the program in recent decades. On two occasions, they’ve logged back-to-back appearances in the OHSAA playoffs – in 1988 and 1989, and most recently in 2020 and 2021. Those four appearances account for Harvey’s all-time playoff resume, and the Red Raiders lost all four games.
With one of the best players in school history in their backfield, it feels like a now-or-never moment for Harvey. Alston debuted in the Red Raiders’ backfield as a freshman, and if there’s any word that describes his impact, it would be “consistency.” He’s averaged more than 8 yards per carry in each of his three seasons with 15 touchdowns as a freshman and sophomore followed by a 16-touchdown effort last fall as a junior.
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He's logged 2,821 rushing yards along the way, including a career-high 1,104 yards in 2024 – a total that would have been higher if he hadn’t missed the first two games while recovering from knee surgery. If he stays healthy this fall and continues to raise the bar, then Harvey could possibly find its way back to the playoffs, and maybe, finally, earn the school’s first postseason victory in the state tournament.
A future Wolverine in the heart of Buckeye country
St. Francis DeSales High School’s Alumni Stadium in Columbus is the home field on Friday nights for Jonathan Brown, one of the Buckeye State’s top running backs in the Class of 2026. It’s roughly five miles from Ohio Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University where Brown will likely be in uniform just a year from now as a freshman in college in the regular season finale. But he won’t be in the scarlet and gray of the hometown Buckeyes.
As things stand now, he’ll be in the maize and blue of their bitter rivals from Michigan.
🚨 I am thrilled to announce my commitment to @UMichFootball 🏡 Thank you God my parents for all the sacrifices you've made @FootballSFD and finally @Coach_SMoore @Coach_AlfordUM for believing in me #GoBlue@AllenTrieu @TylerStevens94 @CoachB_SVA @CoachTBarr @KristianRDyer pic.twitter.com/hPT8sIpSFS
— Jonathan Brown (@JVBrow3) June 22, 2025
Brown committed to Michigan on June 22, and he’s likely to hear about it from opposing fans all season long as he leads St. Francis DeSales on another run at the OHSAA Division II playoffs. Last fall, Brown provided the horsepower that made the Stallions’ offense go, running for 1,295 yards and 16 touchdowns while leading them to the second round of the postseason. The ride ended there in a 27-14 loss to Ashland, but with Brown back for one more run, he’s likely to have the final word on most Friday nights this fall.
And it’s not like Ohio State has come up exactly empty with the high school running backs plowing up ground in the greater Columbus metro area. Just north of the capital in the city of Delaware, they’ve found their man in Hayes High School’s Favour Akih who committed to the Buckeyes on June 8 and could be on the opposite side of the field next fall when Brown makes his return to Columbus.
In the meantime, Brown will get a chance to go head-to-head with yet another Columbus-area prospect on October 24 when he shares the field with Bishop Hartley senior Robert Lathon in the final game of the regular season. Lathon is uncommitted for now but holds offers from Kentucky and Purdue along with most of the schools from the MAC.
Lakota district running backs dominate remaining spots on Ohio's Top 10
| Class, Name | School (City) | Ht, Wt | Commitment |
| SR Favour Akih | Hayes (Delaware) | 6-0, 190 | Ohio St. |
| SR Shahn Alston | Harvey (Painesville) | 5-9, 205 | USC |
| JR Julian Baker | Miami Trace (Washington Court House) | 6-0, 200 | N/A |
| SR Jonathan Brown | St. Frances de Sales (Columbus) | 6-1, 200 | Michigan |
| SR Jackson Farley | Mentor (Mentor) | 5-9, 180 | N/A |
| JR Isaiah Garrett | Winton Woods (Cincinnati) | 5-10, 168 | N/A |
| SR Ryder Hooks | Lakota East (Middletown) | 5-8, 172 | N/A |
| SR Braydon Johnson | Lakota West (West Chester) | 5-11, 200 | N/A |
| SR Robert Lathon | Bishop Hartley (Columbus) | 5-11, 180 | N/A |
| JR Kenyon Norman | Lakota West (West Chester) | 6-0, 180 | N/A |
Lakota West (West Chester, OH) might have the deepest backfield in the Ohio schoolboy ranks this fall with two of the state’s Top 10 returning running backs. Senior Braydon Johnson is drawing interest from the likes of Maryland in the Big Ten and NC State and Pittsburgh in the ACC. When he’s not toting the rock for the Firebirds, there’s a good chance it’s in the hands of rising junior Kenyon Norman who holds offers from at least five Big Ten schools. That list includes Penn State and Indiana which both played in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff.
Lakota West won the OHSAA Division I’s Greater Miami Conference in 2024, just ahead of their rivals from Lakota East (Liberty Township, OH). The Thunderhawks have a backfield star of their own in Ryder Hooks, a senior who holds several offers from MAC schools. The two Cincinnati metro rivals will meet in the regular season finale on October 24 in a game that could decide the pecking order in the Greater Miami ranks once again.