Cats see Deuce Alston as a do-it-all back

Kentucky needed to get its running back evaluation correct this year.

Both of last year’s verbal commitments at the position ended up flipping to other schools, meaning whoever the Cats were to bring in at running back in the Class of 2026 would be very important for the future of the depth chart.

So Jay Boulware zeroed in on Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II, from Hewitt-Trussville in Alabama. Alston took his official visit in June and didn’t wait long to commit. And he may end up being the only running back Kentucky takes in the ’26 class.

Alston is a 7A state wrestling champion in Alabama and last year on the field had 840 all-purpose yards, leading his team in rushing and averaging 7.2 yards per carry. That was against a 7A Region 3 schedule, which is one of the toughest slates a player can face at the high school level.

But what exactly does he bring to the table as a running back, given how important he is to the future of Boulware’s position room?

“I can run inside and out zone,” Alston told Cats Illustrated this week. “I can get the short hard yards and I can make one miss in open space for long explosive runs. Coaches like that I can get to my top end speed quickly. I have really good hands to catch the ball out of the backfield or when lining up in the slot. I can pass pro and block really well. I really am an every down back.”

While Kentucky’s coaches haven’t spoken to Alston specifically about why they believe his skill set is a great fit in Bush Hamdan’s offense Boulware did say that “he sees me as someone that can fit in early,” later noting, “I am looking forward to proving him right.”

It makes sense that Kentucky would target a balanced, all-around running back as opposed to one with more of a niche role, be it power or all-purpose, since they didn’t get a commit in last year’s class.