Now healthy, WVU’s Taijh Alston wreaks havoc on opposing offenses
On paper, Taijh Alston knows injuries more than anything.
He tore his ACL prior to his first season at East Carolina, going through the same plight two years later. Then, prior to last season, he suffered an Achilles tear. All three injuries forced him to miss significant time during his first four years of college football.
It hasn’t been easy for Alston, who said Tuesday that the thought of giving up crossed his mind.
“That thought did come into my head but I just had to dig deep and know this is what I wanted to do,” Alston said. “I love the game of football and I wasn’t going to let an injury determine my career.”
Alston’s persistence has paid off. After claiming the starting job at defensive end during fall practice, he has become arguably the Mountaineers’ most successful defensive lineman. Through five games, Alston has totaled seven tackles for loss and four sacks, both team-highs.
This season also marks his first true experience of wearing the gold and blue. Alston’s second ACL injury came in his second game with the Mountaineers, effectively ending his first opportunity before it ever really began.
After months of rehabilitation, an Achilles tear further delayed Alston’s return to Milan Puskar Stadium. Still, he approached the situation with confidence and optimism according to defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley.
“I remember last summer, the day he got hurt .. I was there that day and Taijh didn’t blink an eye,” Lesley said. “[He said] ‘Coach, I’ll be back.’ That says a lot about him.”
He returned last season and played in the Mountaineers’ regular-season finale against Iowa State, collecting one tackle. He set his sights on the upcoming season, 2021, and had many resources that he hadn’t had before to prepare.
“What helped me a lot was having a full offseason,” Alston said. “I had a full spring ball, full summer and full fall camp. Just going against my teammates in practice, it just all felt right. So I knew I could play.”
Lesley agreed, saying that Alston’s development is night and day compared to when he stepped on campus in 2019.
“There’s tremendous growth,” Lesley said. “I think the thing with Taijh that separates him from not only guys here, but a lot of guys at this level (is that) Taijh is really, really hungry. It really bothers him that he lost a lot of time in his career and a key time in his career and coming out from a transfer situation. It motivates him … and you can tell that in everything he does.”
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