The Allen File
- Drafted 7th Overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 NFL Draft
- Pro Bowl, 2019
The Underdog
The former Kentucky Wildcat turned Jacksonville Jaguar star is deserving of everything good that comes his way. Far too often in media, we focus on the bad things, but Josh Allen's story is one worth telling. A story of perseverance and hardship, that molded one of the league's most exciting defensive stars. But even despite that, he still lives in the shadows of Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who happens to be a star in his own right, but the Jaguars' Allen is in need of some love and recognition as well.
Faced with a speed impediment growing up, Allen was often pulled from class to take speech lessons, forcing him to fall behind his fellow classmates. While they continued their learning, Allen was stuck trying to overcome that problem, while also faced with struggles at home as well. He once told a story about being pulled from school because he hadn't showered in a while, due to his large family and the lack of hot water at home. Allen was one of six people vying for the same shower and eventually, was taken out of school because of that. But after all that, he never gave up and eventually landed in the NFL.
Funny how that stuff works. Allen appears to be the winner now. And he's got plenty of fans to cheer him on every step of the way. Maybe one day he can even shake the "Jaguars Josh Allen" label and just be known as Josh Allen. When that happens, all of us at BetBasics will be in his corner.