Football
Josh Allen - Football - University of Kentucky Athletics 41

JoshAllen

  • position Linebacker
  • height 6-5
  • Weight 260
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Montclair, N.J.
  • High school Montclair

Career

  • Did not miss a game in his four-year career, playing in all 51 games with 35 starts
  • Totaled 224 tackles, 41.0 TFL, 31.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, 11 forced fumbles, eight PBUs, two fumble recoveries, one blocked kick and one interception in his four-year career
  • Helped lead UK to three straight bowl games for the first time since going to five in a row from 2006-2010
  • Helped lead UK to a 10-win season, which included a win over Penn State in the 2018 VRBO Citrus Bowl … Marked the most wins in 41 years
  • Broke UK’s career sacks record with 31.5
  • Broke UK’s single-season sacks record in ’18 with 17
  • Moved up to No. 9 on the SEC’s career sacks list
  • Had 41 tackles for loss which ranks second all-time at UK, behind Oliver Barnett’s 43
  • Forced 11 fumbles, tying Danny Trevathan for the UK career record (forced fumble stats available since 1988)
  • Named a consensus First-Team All-American in 2018, UK’s first consensus All-American since wide receiver/kick returner Derek Abney in 2002 and the first unanimous selection since defensive lineman Art Still in 197
  • Swept the national defensive player of the year awards in 2018 as he was honored with the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy and the Jack Lambert Award … UK’s first winner in every category
  • SEC Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-SEC selection in 2018


2018 – Senior (Team Captain)

  • Started in all 13 games
  • Had a team-high 88 total tackles, 17 quarterback sacks, 21.5 TFL, seven QB hurries, five forced fumbles, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries
  • Led the SEC in quarterback sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles
  • His 17 sacks were the most by an SEC player in a single season since the NCAA started official sack records in 2000
  • Ranked second nationally in sacks, fourth in fumbles forced and sixth in TFL
  • Thirteen of his 17 sacks were in the second half, four in the third quarter and nine in the fourth quarter
  • UK did not allowed a point on all 17 opponent possessions that he had a sack
  • Consensus First-Team All-American (Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sports Illustrated, TheAthletic.com, ESPN, Associated Press, College Football News, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, USA Today, CBS, American Football Coaches Association, Athlon)
  • SEC Defensive Player of the Year (AP, Coaches, Athlon, ESPN)
  • First-Team All-SEC (AP, Coaches, Athlon, ESPN)
  • Bronko Nagurski Award winner, National Defensive Player of the Year
  • Chuck Bednarik Award winner, National Defensive Player of the Year
  • Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy winner, National Defensive Player of the Year
  • Jack Lambert Award winner, National Linebacker of the Year
  • Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club SEC Lineman of the Year
  • Butkus Award finalist
  • Walter Camp Player of the Year finalist
  • Ted Hendricks Award finalist
  • Maxwell Award semifinalist
  • Lombardi Award semifinalist
  • Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week (10/28)
  • Four-time SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (9/10, 9/24, 10/1, 10/29)
  • Helped lead UK to its best regular-season record in 41 years, since the 1977 team went 10-1
  • Earned unanimous All-Bowl Team selection (ESPN, USA Today, Associated Press and Sports Illustrated) after charting three quarterback sacks and a QB hurry in the 27-24 Citrus Bowl win over Penn State … Also blocked a field goal that provided the margin of victory
  • Named Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week three times, the first player to win the POW award three times since Manti Te’o of Notre Dame in 2012
  • Named Walter Camp Football Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week after charting a then career-best 11 tackles (nine solo), including a pair of quarterback sacks both of which caused fumbles, in the win over Missouri
  • Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week four times after wins over Florida, Mississippi State,  South Carolina and Missouri
  • Had a career-high 15 tackles, including a pair of quarterback sacks for -12 yards vs. MTSU
  • Had eight tackles, four tackles for loss (-19), including a career-best three quarterback sacks (-17), one fumble caused and one quarterback hurry in the win over South Carolina
  • First UK player with three sacks in an SEC game since Marlon McCree vs. South Carolina in 1998
  • First UK player with four tackles for loss in any game since Marlon McCree vs. Florida in 1998
  • Totaled six tackles, two tackles for loss, a quarterback sack, a pass breakup and a QB hurry in the win over No. 14 Mississippi State
  • Had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one QB sack, one fumble caused, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry in the win at No. 25 Florida
  • His QB sack on the game’s final play caused a fumble that UK returned for a touchdown, clinching the win for the Wildcats … Also had a key pass breakup on a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter
  • First-Team Preseason All-SEC (Coaches, Street & Smith’s)
  • Second-Team Preseason All-SEC (Media, Phil Steele, Lindy’s)
  • Third-Team Defense Preseason All-SEC (Athlon Sports)
  • Midseason All-American (CBS Sports, ESPN.com, Sporting News, AP, The Athletic and Pro Football Focus)


2017 – Junior

  • AP All-SEC Second Team
  • Phil Steele All-SEC Third Team
  • Butkus Award Semifinalist
  • AP Midseason Second-Team All-American
  • Sports Illustrated Midseason Second-Team All-American
  • First-team Midseason All-SEC by The All-American
  • Played and started in all 13 games
  • On the season, had 65 tackles (fourth on the team), a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss, a team-high 7.0 sacks, a team-high four QB hurries, 3 PBUs, two forced fumbles and one interception
  • Ranked tied for eighth in the SEC and 36th nationally in sacks per game (0.58)
  • Got his first career interception at No. 7 Georgia, returning it 14 yards
  • Has totaled 19.5 career TFL, 14.5 career sacks


2016 – Sophomore

  • Played in all 13 games with nine starts
  • Ended the season as UK’s seventh-leading tackler with 62
  • Led the team and tied for 12th in the SEC in sacks with 7.0
  • Third on the team in tackles for loss with 8.5 for 49 yards
  • Recorded seven or more tackles in four games, while he had a tackle for loss in nine of Kentucky’s 13 games
  • Forced four fumbles, leading the SEC in that category
  • Made his first career start at Florida


2015 – Freshman

  • Played in all 12 games as a reserve linebacker and contributor on special teams
  • Had four tackles, including 1.5 tackles for a loss and half a sack 


High School

  • Explosive prospect led the state of New Jersey in quarterback sacks
  • First-team all-state as a senior by MSGvarsity.com
  • Also a wide receiver, had 23 receptions for 500 yards and five touchdowns his senior season at Montclair, including an 80-yard grab
  • Coached by John Fiore
  • As a defensive end, he had 75 total tackles with 21 tackles for loss plus 22.5 sacks
  • Also had six passes defended and one fumble recovery
  • Helped Montclair claim its third-straight North Jersey Section 1, Group 5 Championship in 2014
  • Named All-Super Essex Conference first-team defense in 2014
  • Played first three years of high school in Alabama before moving back to his hometown his senior season
  • First-team all-state wide receiver for Abbeville (Ala.) High School as a junior
  • Chose Kentucky over Buffalo and Monmouth


Personal

  • Born in Cumberland County, Va.
  • Has a son, Wesley DeVon Allen
  • Son of Kim Allen and Robert Allen
  • Josh’s sister, Myisha Hines-Allen, played collegiate basketball at Louisville and currently is a forward for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics
  • An uncle, Gregory Hines, played college basketball at Hampton and went on to a 12-year pro career
  • Major is communication


Community Cats

  • Participated in an event with the Special Olympics after practice and was a volunteer at the Indian Summer Camp for children’s cancer survivors (2015)


Josh Says

  • He chose Kentucky because he wanted to be a piece of the puzzle in making UK great
  • Other than playing in the NFL, his dream job is to be a sports analyst
  • If he had to choose one player to be stranded on an island with he would choose Jordan Jones because he would find a way to get them rescued and provide entertainment
  • His non-sports talent is cooking
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