It’s long been thought, or even assumed, that Josh Allen will be leaving collegiate eligibility on the table to take his talents to the next level after this season. In Week 12, there’s yet another sign pointing in that general direction.
As is the case across a substantial portion of the college football landscape, Saturday is Senior Day at Wyoming as the Cowboys square off with Fresno State in their 2017 home finale. And, while just a junior, Allen was introduced as part of that group of seniors, signaling that this is very likely his last season in Laramie.
QB Josh Allen being introduced as part of senior day festivities. Allen is in uniform. Allen also is a junior so seems to me this is his last home game for Wyoming
— Robert Gagliardi (@rpgagliardi) November 18, 2017
Allen, who has been dealing with a right (throwing) shoulder injury, has another season of eligibility at his disposal, but this latest development has him trending toward making himself available for the 2018 NFL draft. If he opts to leave early, he’s projected to be a first-round selection.
Players such as Allen have until mid-January to officially declare for the April draft.
Last season, Allen completed exactly 56 percent of his passes for 3,203 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Through 10 games this season, and with less of a supporting cast around him, the 6-5, 240-pound redshirt junior has hit on 56.2 percent of his attempts for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. His yards per attempt have gone down from 8.59 in 2016 to 6.61 in 2017, although he’s thrown a pick in every 25 attempts this season compared to one every 42 last season.