How the NFL's new $150 million man was almost the best player in Monmouth history
When football fans hear the name Josh Allen, they typically don't think of thatother Josh Allen. But on Wednesday, the edge rusher Josh Allen - a former top 10 draft pick and multiple-time pro bowler - got a moment to shine when he signed an extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly worth up to $150 million over five years with $88 million guaranteed.
The deal makes him the third-highest paid defensive player in the NFL behind superstars Nick Bosa and Chris Jones. Remarkably, he was barely on anyone's radar as a senior at Montclair High School in 2015. And if not for a multitude of recruiting flip flops, he could've potentially gone down as the best player in Monmouth University history.
Allen grew up in New Jersey but spent the first three years of his high school career as a receiver at a small school in Alabama before moving back to Montclair for his final season and converting to defensive end. He took to the move swiftly, leading the state in sacks with 22.5 as a senior and his team beat Passaic Tech to win the Group 5 North 1 title.
That production was not enough to garner the interest of Rutgers, who Allen visited multiple times unofficially that fall. But it did impress longtime Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan.
"We thought he was a diamond in the rough; we thought he was a gem that we had uncovered," Callahan told the Courier-Journal in 2018. "We certainly weren’t going to tell a lot of people about him, because we were hoping that we could hang onto him."
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Late flip-flops led Allen to SEC
The Hawks were more than content that Allen was flying under the radar, although his high school coach, John Fiore, was still lobbying for him to any college football program willing to listen. Eventually Kentucky decided to take a closer look, but only because they were forced to by a series of late de-commitments.
The Wildcats lost two edge rusher recruits in January of 2015 and took another look at Allen. The offer from an SEC program was too good to pass up for the future two-time conference defensive player of the year.
The rest is history. Allen went on to dominate in college football's toughest league and was the best player on the Wildcats as the team had its first double-digit win season since 1977. The New Jersey product proved to be a program-altering player for Kentucky, which had another 10-win season in 2021. He was then drafted seventh overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 NFL Draft and as demonstrated by his recent extension, Allen has continued to deliver results at the highest level.
And Monmouth is left to ponder if they could've been the recipients of that boon, if only a future North Carolina State offensive tackle and a future 5th round pick defensive end for the UNC Tar Heels had stayed true to their original commitments to Kentucky.
"That was one of those things where you look back and say, 'Wow, what might have been, what could have been.' But we’re excited for him. We’re excited for what he’s doing and the success that he’s having," said Callahan in 2018. "I think it says a lot about the talent level of football in the state of New Jersey. That’s where we’ve built our program, from guys in the home state here, New Jersey guys."
During an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2019, Allen also reflected on what might have been in the lead-up to the NFL Draft.
"I think about it every day. Literally, every day," Allen told SI. "It’s like ‘Dang. I was really committed to Monmouth.’ I think whether I would be the same person that I am today or what would’ve I have done. I felt like that was a real humbling experience too. I never forget where I came from. Especially with the national accolades coming. I always tell people that I was committed to Monmouth."
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jaguars' Josh Allen, nearly a Monmouth Hawk, gets $150 million deal
