Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen came from humble beginnings to become one of the poster boys for the NFL. The NFL Madden cover athlete is a superstar and the face of the Bills franchise, but before he was a Pro Bowl-caliber signal-caller, Allen was an under-the-radar QB at Wyoming. How did many Division I coaches miss on Allen, allowing him to enroll at Wyoming?
How Did Josh Allen Wind Up Playing for Wyoming?
The fireballer from Firebaugh, California, wasn’t always the prototypical signal-caller we see on NFL Sundays. Allen was a scrawny QB in high school, measuring in at a thin 6’3″, 180 pounds. Many Division I programs didn’t see the prodigious talent in Allen. Even the nearby Fresno State Bulldogs, whom Allen was a fan of since he was a kid, passed on the local product.
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Fresno State wasn’t the only school unwilling to roll the red carpet out for Allen. The future face of the Bills received zero scholarship offers. The closest thing to a Division I offer came from San Diego State, who offered Allen an opportunity to walk on as an Aztec. The Aztec coaching staff wouldn’t promise playing time, so Allen declined their offer.
Allen didn’t just play football, so he wasn’t getting noticed at camps. The future NFL gunslinger starred on the basketball court and the baseball diamond. The flamethrower brought the heat as a pitcher while leading his high school team in scoring on the hardwood — Allen’s athleticism was not in question.
The future All-Pro attended Reedley College. Allen led the offense as one of the top junior college units. Under Allen’s guidance, Reedley ranked in the top 10 for junior colleges in passing yards per game, points per game, and total yards per game.
The future face of the Bills threw 25 touchdown passes to four interceptions during his only season at Reedley. As important as his statistical prowess was Allen’s physical development. The JUCO product grew to 6’5″, 210 pounds, and now looked the part of a Division I QB.
His coaches at Reedley expected scholarship offers for Allen following his freshman season and were surprised by how little attention their signal-caller received. Eastern Michigan and Wyoming extended scholarship offers to Allen, but that was it. When they heard of Allen’s visit to Wyoming, Eastern Michigan rescinded its offer to the signal-caller.
With no other offers, the future first-round selection went to the only Division I team to offer him a scholarship, Wyoming.
Is Allen Overrated?
The Bills were one of the favorites heading into the playoffs a year ago. The Buffalo mystique was erased by Cincinnati, as the Bengals pummeled the Bills. Since then, it feels like the Bills haven’t been the same dominant team. Many NFL fans and talent evaluators consider Allen one of the top signal-callers in the game. Is the Bills QB overrated?
Since 2018, no QB in football has thrown more interceptions than Allen. The face of the Buffalo franchise has a history of poor decisions, and his free-wheeling style of play leads to wild highs and horrible lows. The only way for Allen and Buffalo to silence the critics is to win football games in January.
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