Wyoming Football: Is Josh Allen a sure-fire franchise quarterback?
Meet the Player
Josh Allen may be one of the least likely top-ranked quarterbacks of all time.
In his four years at Firebaugh High School, Josh only started 23 games on the varsity football team. During the two seasons he spent as the Eagles’ starting quarterback, Allen threw for 5,269 yards and 59 touchdowns on 599 passes.
Allen’s lack of production led to him going predominantly unrecruited, earning a 0-star rating.
While other quarterbacks spent their developmental years on the recruiting circuit, going to quarterback camps and showing off their skills for college scouts, Allen was playing basketball, baseball and working with his parents in a very small town.
After graduating from high school, Josh chose to attend Reedley Community College after receiving no football scholarship offers. In his one season leading the Tigers’ football team, Josh threw for 2,055 yards 26 touchdowns in 10 games. That season helped raise Allen’s stock as a prospect, now ranked a two-star recruit by Scout.com.
Still, there was very little interest in Allen’s services after the 2015 season. Allen only got one scholarship offer after his JUCO season, from the University of Wyoming.
Allen was set to serve as the primary backup for Cameron Coffman, but got his first taste of action in Wyoming’s first game of the year against North Dakota State, going 1-2 for 19 yards. He then received his first start of his Division 1 career, an afternoon start against Eastern Michigan. Unfortunately for Josh his season would be short lived. Allen suffered a season-ending collarbone injury after going 3-of-4 for 32 yards and rushing for 40 yards on three attempts.
While his freshman season was largely a disappointment, his sophomore was anything but.
Related Story: Michigan State Football: Is Pat Narduzzi Mark Dantonio’s heir apparent?
Allen put the Cowboys on his back, throwing for 3,254 yards and 28 touchdowns while starting every game. Not only was Josh extremely successful from a statistical perspective, but he also took the team to height they hadn’t reached in years.
After going 2-10 in their previous season, Wyoming quadrupled its win total, going 8-6 and making it to the Mountain West Championship game, and the Poinsettia Bowl.
Even though Allen would have potentially heard his name called on the first day of the 2017 NFL draft, he and his family decided that the best decision for his future was to return to Wyoming for his junior season.
While there is no way of knowing if Josh made the right decision, the national spotlight will be firmly fixed on Laramie, Wyoming.