South Carolina football recruiting profiles: Taeshawn Alston
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his coaching staff have less than a month before National Signing Day. (Remember when recruits signed in February?) The Early Signing Period begins Wednesday, December 4th, and the majority of teams’ high school recruiting classes will be completed by the time the Early Signing Period ends on Friday, December 6th. In the weeks leading up to NSD, GamecockCentral will profile each player in the 2025 recruiting class. Today, we will look at linebacker/EDGE Taeshawn Alston.
Taeshawn Alston (3-star, Linebacker/EDGE, 6’4″, 204 pounds)
What the rankings say: 3-star in On3 industry rankings, No. 553 nationally, No. 13 in North Carolina, No. 50 among all EDGE players; Taeshawn Alston is a consensus 3-star prospect
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Taeshawn Alston is an interesting defensive prospect. He has spent most of his career playing as an EDGE (both at defensive end and at outside linebacker). However, the Gamecocks seem set on converting him into a full-time ‘backer at the college level. He is rated as an EDGE/defensive end by three of the four major recruiting services, though.
Alston is a good athlete who plays with a high football IQ. He does a really nice job of setting the edge against the run, and he reads ball carrier movements well. Those traits should translate well to his future as a linebacker for South Carolina. Plus, his experience as a pass rusher will come in handy in Clayton White’s defense as the Gamecocks’ defensive coordinator likes to bring pressure from the second level of his unit.
The Vance County High School product doesn’t throw his weight around too much, but he works well against blockers through the use of his hands. He also does a good job of getting ball carriers down when he gets ahold of them.
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With a lot of linebackers graduating after this year, there will be battles for lots of playing time. While Fred “JayR” Johnson seems to be the young ‘backer highest in the pecking order, Alston and others will have opportunities to prove themselves, too.
South Carolina has eight commits in the ’25 cycle who the Gamecock staff expects to play linebacker, EDGE, or both. Alston joins AJ Holloway, Jaquel Holman, Josh Smith, and Donovan Darden as players expected to begin their careers at linebacker. He also is one of three North Carolina recruits committed to the South Carolina football program, joining fellow linebacker/EDGE Donovan Darden and wide receiver Brian Rowe. USC has not signed any high school players from that state since Nick Barrett back in 2021.
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You can watch some of Alston’s film below.
