Another day, another early cannonballer into the NFL draft pool.
Saturday afternoon, and as expected, USC announced that Javorius “Buck” Allen has decided to forego his remaining season of collegiate eligibility and make himself available for the 2015 NFL draft that begins in late April. In a lengthy statement, the running back said that while it “was a tough decision,” he feels he’s “ready to take it to the next level.”
Below is Allen’s statement, in its entirety.“This was a tough decision for me. I went home to Florida and talked it over with my family. I am proud to have been the first one in my family to have gone to college, and I’ve been blessed to say I played football in college. Now I’m ready to take it to the next level. Every kid dreams of this moment.
“This has been a long journey. There are so many I want to thank, starting with God, who made this all possible. I want to thank President Nikias for the opportunity I had at this great university and all of those who impacted my life at USC, including all our fans. I want to thank Pat Haden and J.K. McKay for accepting me and always being there for me. I want to thank Coach O for trusting in me when he took over last year and Coach Tommie Robinson for putting his job on the line last year by giving me the chance to play. And now Coach Sark and his staff for molding me as a man and as a complete person on and off the field. I had a great year with Coach Sark and his staff. I also appreciate all the help I got from our equipment and training staffs, who met all my needs. And especially everyone in our Academic Services department, who did such a great job supporting me and making my experience at USC better every day. Fight On!”
In 2014, his 114.5 yards rushing per game was 22nd in the country and third in the Pac-12. His 149.8 all-purpose yards per game was tops in the conference and 12th nationally. According to the school, Allen was the only player in the nation with 13 games of 100-plus yards from scrimmage this season.
Following the 2014 season, he was named first-team All-Pac-12.
“Buck is a true Trojan and we wish him well,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said in his statement. “He is not only a good football player, but a fine young man. We are grateful for what he did at USC. We asked a lot of Buck this year and he came through with an All-Pac-12 season. We know he can do more of the same in the NFL.”