Kentucky Football Countdown: No. 41 Josh Allen
Another weekend has come and gone, bringing us even closer to the 2022 Kentucky football season. Today, we sit at just 41 days from opening kickoff. To celebrate, let’s take a look at the career of one of the most beloved Wildcats in recent memory.
No. 41 Josh Allen
Josh Allen was born in Cumberland County, Virginia. He grew up with four sisters and a twin brother in Montclair, New Jersey. That’s not the only place he considers home, though.
Allen moved to Abbeville, Alabama after his eighth-grade year to live with his aunt and uncle. There, he was quickly noticed by Abbeville High School’s then-head coach Alphus Shipman. Shipman finally convinced him to try out, playing him at both wide receiver and defensive end.
Shortly after his senior year began, he decided to move back to New Jersey to finish his high school career. “Everyone in my family graduated from Montclair High,” Allen said. “I didn’t want to break the tradition.”
He led the state of New Jersey in quarterback sacks his senior year, earning him a spot on the first-team all-state. He had 23 receptions for 500 yards his senior season with Montclair, as well as 75 tackles (21 for a loss) and 22.5 sacks. With his help, Montclair was able to claim their third-straight North Jersey Section 1, Group 5 Championship in 2014.
Still, Allen did not attract much collegiate attention. He was just a two-star recruit according to 247Sports. He picked Kentucky over Buffalo and Monmouth in January of 2015.
You know the story from there. Allen thrived under head coach Mark Stoops. He played in all 51 games in his four-year career and started 35 of them. He totaled 224 tackles, 41 TFL, 31.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, 11 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one blocked kick and one interception in his time with the Wildcats. That seems pretty good.
Allen played a key role in getting the ‘Cats to three-straight bowl games. He also helped lead the team to a 10-win season in 2018, marking the most wins for the program in (coincidentally) 41 years. He broke both UK’s career-sack record with 31.5 and the single-season sack record in 2018.
His impressive stat sheet earned him several awards by the end of his college career. He was a consensus First-Team All-American in 2018 — Kentucky’s first since Derek Abney in 2022 — and swept the national defensive player of the year awards that same year.
Allen was picked seventh overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 NFL Draft. Since then, he has proved an important piece of the Jaguar defense. He recorded the most sacks by a rookie in a season with 10.5. He was also the first rookie in franchise history to be named to the Pro Bowl. Not bad for a two-star recruit out of high school, eh?
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