Kyle Allen, the former five-star quarterback recruit from Scottsdale, Arizona, is transferring away from Texas A&M immediately after being granted his release by the school. After the announcement, there were reports that both Oklahoma and California were interested in the true sophomore.
Kyle Allen Transferring away from Texas A&M
Kyle Allen took the starting job from Kenny Hill halfway through the 2014 season as a true freshman, so he hasn’t used up his redshirt eligibility. This means he can sit out next year on account of the NCAA rules on transferring without losing one of his four years of eligibility. He will still have two additional years left to play for the school of his choosing.
Allen won the starting job over new recruit Kyler Murray, leading the team to a 5-0 record before getting injured in the game against Alabama, their first lost of the 2015 season. A second loss to Ole Miss followed when head coach Kevin Sumlin re-opened the quarterback competition. Allen lost the starting job to Murray before going on to win it back for the Vanderbilt game. Even when Allen was the starter, he was pulled for a number of offensive snaps to let Murray play.
To date, in his college career, Allen has thrown for 3,532 yards with 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also rushed for an additional 146 yards with three touchdowns, as he has proved himself to be a surprisingly athletic quarterback for a player who was never touted as a dual threat. It’s clear that Kyle Allen is a casualty to the pressure within the A&M organization to play Kyler Murray, who is a Texas native that many see as the long term starter at College Station.
It became apparent after the game against Alabama that Allen was hurt during the game. But he continued to play, fighting through the pain to play in the loss to Ole Miss. He was criticized for his performances in those games despite the fact he played hurt. Throughout the course of the year, it continuously felt like he was never given the backing of the coaching staff. Instead staying consistent with their starting quarterback, letting him play through some errors and learn from it, they seemed to jump to Kyler Murray despite the fact he did not appear to be ready for this level of competition. The fact that they made promises to Murray about playing time in his freshman year also shows a lack of faith in Allen.
The football program that convinces Kyle Allen to transfer to their school will be receiving a mature quarterback who has handled himself superbly through a tough season. Not once has he complained about playing injured or being benched, each time coming back stronger and wanting to be a better player. He will be sorely missed at College Station but will have a great career wherever he may go.
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