Huntington Quarterly Summer 2022

PHOTO COURTESY OF C-USA

Rasheen Ali burst onto the scene as a freshman. In his first game he scored four touchdowns against Navy on national television.

a 60-yard touchdown!’ I wasn’t surprised. He was always doing things like that. Everything came quickly to him.” Because Ali was away from high school football for a time, he was not heavily recruited. Former Ohio State star running back andMarshall running backs coach Pepe Pearson sawpotential inAli and recruited him toMarshall. “This is the next great running back to wear No. 22 here,” Doug Chapman shouted to a reporter at a

spring practice in 2021. Chapman is a Marshall Hall of Famer who also wore No. 22. He’s second all time at Marshall in career rushing yards. He also played in the NFL. The man can spot a talented back when he sees one and knows that great running backs are measured by yardsticks and by intangibles. “I watched his footwork,” Chapman said. “To me he had the most talent in the running backs room, but he was still a bit

raw. Coach Telly Lockette did a great job of coaching him up and helping himunderstand

Rasheen is one of the most coachable players I’ve

been around. He’s extremely humble

which allows him to continue to seek improvement. His best years are ahead of him.

—Head Coach Charles Huff

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