Damari Alston injury update: Hugh Freeze announces Auburn RB's status for Ball State game

Damari Alston was the leading running back in the opener last week for Auburn. He’ll be out for game two, though, per the latest update on him from Hugh Freeze on Thursday.

Meeting with the media at practice today, Freeze said Alston would be out this weekend against Ball State. That’s a drop from the status he had just a few days ago as the team came out of week one and into week two.

Hugh Freeze says RB Damari Alston will not play in Saturday's game against Ball State.

— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) September 4, 2025

“I do not. I do not,” Freeze said of whether he expected Alston to play this weekend against the Cardinals.

Alston came out of the opener against the Bears in Waco with a shoulder injury. Freeze had said to start the week that he was questionable, with him taking a limited part in practice the past few days. However, with two days until kickoff of their second game and debut at home, Alston will be out, which will give him an additional week of rest between a pair of non-conference games with Ball State this week before South Alabama the following weekend.

Alston was also a part of the massive rushing effort in the 38-24 win for Auburn over Baylor. Jackson Arnold really used his legs at quarterback with 137 yards, at 8.6 yards per run, and two touchdowns on the 16 carries he had. Then, in the backfield, Alston had 16 carries of his own for 84 yards, at 5.3 yards per rush, and a touchdown too.

Jeremiah Cobb had a similar stat line of 16 carries as well for 74 yards, at 4.6 per carry, and a score as well. That accounted for over 70% of the yardage, with 307 of 415 yards being on the ground at 5.9 yards per rush, for the Tigers last week en route to the big, two-score win at McLane Stadium.

With Alston out as their starting back, Cobb is set to take a majority of those carries for the Tigers after splitting them evenly with him last week. Durell Robinson, who had one carry for three yards last week, and Omar Mabson, a true freshman, could then be in line for more snaps, among others at the position, against this opponent out of the MAC.

Auburn really leaned on the run game to get out of its opener with a victory. Now, after coming out of that with some early wear and tear, the Tigers are playing it safe with Alston with a designation of out for this weekend against Ball State.