Explosive freshman Ajay Allen determined to earn a spot in Nebraska's running back room
Ajay Allen‘s nickname tells you a lot about his abilities on the football field: “quick 6”.
At Neville High School in Monroe, La., the running back ran for 2,200 rushing yards and scored 34 touchdowns during his senior season.
In fact, Allen rushed for 360 yards and four touchdowns against St. Thomas More, which was led by four-star quarterback Walker Howard.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound back broke free for an 82 and a 99-yard touchdown run on his first two carries of the game.
That is exactly what Nebraska hoped they were getting from Allen when he joined its 2022 class.
The Huskers have a running back room full of options and talent with Rahmir Johnson, Gabe Ervin Jr., Jaquez Yant, Anthony Grant and Markese Stepp. But Allen’s speed and explosiveness will add more competition to this group.
But how will Allen fit into this relatively experienced, deep group?
Becoming a Husker
First, let’s dive into how Allen became a Husker.
Allen’s path to Lincoln was unique. The Louisiana native planned to pack his bags and move 320 miles west to Fort Worth, Texas and play for the Horned Frogs of TCU and running back coach Bryan Applewhite.
Instead, Applewhite, who Allen had created a deep relationship with, took a job at Nebraska on Husker Head Coach Scott Frost’s staff.
Even though Applewhite’s team had changed, his desire to coach Allen remained.
“When Coach Applewhite didn’t have a job at TCU anymore, he still texted me every day, he showed me that he still wanted me, that he wanted to coach me,” the four-star said. “Me and him had a great relationship so when he got (to Nebraska), the first thing he told Coach Frost about was me. So that was a great thing right there and then I took my official, I loved it here.”
Allen opened his recruitment back up after backing committed to TCU in August 2021 and flipped to sign with Nebraska on National Signing Day in February 2022. He said it came down to the Huskers, the Horned Frogs and Mississippi State.
But Nebraska and his relationships with the coaches made it feel like the place for him.
“(Applewhite’s) always kept it real with me. He never changed. He’s still the same guy to this day. He also was like another father figure to me, you can’t beat that. Like someone sticking up for you at the end of the day, every day still checking on you, making sure you still doing the right things, he just not a coach to me, like another father figure.”
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Allen has a special connection with another Husker coach: Mickey Joseph, who is also a Louisiana native.
“He’s like another father to me,” the running back said. “He values business just like I (do) So we take that very seriously. And (being) from Louisiana, it’s hard down there. We know where we come from. So that’s how we have a great connection.”
Lincoln, Neb. is 800 miles from Monroe, La. and at least a full-days drive.
Allen said his mother wanted him to move to Lincoln because she trusts Applewhite, just like her son does.
Earning a spot
Allen was ranked the No. 5 running back in the class of 2022 and the eighth prospect in the state of Louisiana and yet, he is only focused on the on-field production.
“I don’t really look at the rankings and stuff,” he said. “If I have to show you my talent, I will. You can have 25 four-stars on one team, you can get beat by a bunch of three-stars so it doesn’t matter.”
With the Huskers’ running back room, Allen has a chance to make an impact as a freshman and will have to focus on his on-field production.
The RBs have a new coach and don’t have a clear front-runner with five experienced players. Allen doesn’t have college experience but Nebraska did start a true freshman, Ervin Jr., last season.
Now healthy, Gabe Ervin is using injury setback as fuel for his offseason fire
“I love to compete,” he said. “That’s my one thing is to compete. I think I can bring another piece of this on the tape right here.”
Allen planned to play in the Big 12 but now will be taking on Big Ten foes. He said he’s most excited to travel to Penn State to play in State College but hasn’t seen Memorial Stadium filled with fans yet.
The running back said he’s familiar with Big Ten football and backs. He grew up watching former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, one of his favorite running backs as a kid.
“Everybody in the Big Ten runs NFL offenses and that’s mainly why Big Ten (players) get picked up by the NFL,” Allen said.
While the Louisiana native hopes to make it to the league one day, the dream atop his list right now is earning his college degree.
Allen spent this spring doing workouts sent to him by Applewhite and itching to graduate high school and get to Nebraska to jump into the competition.
“It’s gonna be a competition,” he said. “I’m not gonna talk bad about anybody, they’re still my team. At the end of the day, we all have a job to do.”
Allen’s high school film shows his great vision and explosiveness. He runs hard and cuts sharp. And he’s fast. You don’t get a nickname like “quick 6” for no reason.
