Rutgers-commit Jacob Allen excited and ready for Big Ten football

PRINCETON, N.J. — On Dec. 15, 2021, offensive tackle Jacob Allen was one of four players from the Hun School of Princeton to sign their national letter of intent to play college football, committing to Rutgers University.

Head coach, Todd Smith, has produced 85 college football players in the eight years he has been at Hun, and understands what type of players college football programs are looking for during their recruiting process.

“First things first, I think in the world of college football today, body size and body type get you in the room before ability these days,” Smith explained. “I think specifically at the power five conferences, a lot of schools now are strictly recruiting size. For offensive lineman, you’re looking for guys that a true 6-foot-5 and the leaner the better.”

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, per 24/7 Sports, Allen fits the ideal size that programs are looking for.

Smith understands that size isn’t the only thing that will get players recruited. It’s about what you can do on the field, as well.

“After that you sort those kids out and find the kids that can bend and can play,” Smith said. “Jacob is a really good athlete. He’s flexible, he’s got great hip flexibility, he moves very well, he’s got great feet and those are all key ingredients to a great offensive lineman.”

Allen, a captain this season for Hun, understands his size and strength gives him an advantage when he plays, as well as playing with a chip on his shoulder.

“Being my size and being as athletic as I am and that’s another advantage that comes along with the way I play,” Allen said. “When I play to my best ability, there is definitely a sense of anger that I play with.”

Allen spent his first two years of high school at St. Joe’s of Metuchen in his hometown of Metuchen, New Jersey. After his sophomore year, though, Allen did not see himself continuing his academic and athletic career at St. Joe’s.

“It just wasn’t working out for me towards the end of my sophomore year,” Allen explained. “I met Owen Anderson, a Hun player at the time, who was a friend of a friend that I used to go to St. Joe’s with.”

Meeting Anderson, who committed to the University of Illinois on the same day Allen committed to Rutgers, was the catalyst for Allen’s journey to Hun. Upon enrolling to Hun, Allen reclassified to the Class of 2022 and went to Hun as a repeat sophomore.

“I just asked if he could ask Coach Smith if he thought that I’d be a good fit or if there is room for me at Hun,” Allen said. “Me and Coach Smith just started talking and that’s pretty much how that happened. I never intended to reclass but just ended it up being something that we were able to do. I didn’t even know it was a thing until I came to Hun.”

According to the 24/7 Sports Composite Ranking, Allen is the top ranked recruit from New Jersey as well as the 10th best offensive tackle recruit in the nation. He started receiving offers from various power five football programs during the early stages of his recruitment process, which was difficult for Allen to handle.

“My recruitment lasted about a year and in the beginning, it was really overwhelming,” he said. “I had no idea where I was going to go or how I was going to approach choosing a place to go.”

Ultimately, Allen decided to stay close to home, a decision that seemed to fall into place for him once he started meeting with those various programs.

“Definitely one of the top reasons was just the relationships I’ve built with Coach (Andrew) Aurich, Coach (Scott) Vallone as well as Coach (Greg) Schiano and it was just incomparable, and time really showed that,” Allen explained. “I saw how much Rutgers wanted me and how they could develop me and then I saw the (recruitment) class they were building, and I was really excited to be part of that.”

Starting in the fall of 2022, Allen will be playing in the Big Ten Conference and will compete against historic football programs like the University of Michigan as well as Ohio State. Smith knows that the transition from high school football to the Big Ten will be tough but knows that Allen has the ability to handle that transition.

“When you talk about power five conferences, everybody’s going to have some kind of an adjustment period,” Smith said. “I think if Jacob keeps working hard and has that blue collar mentality that he had with us, he’ll be on the field sooner than later at Rutgers and have very successful career.”

Stepping foot onto the New Brunswick, New Jersey, campus in a few months, Allen is excited for what the next few years of his college career holds for him, both on and off the field.

“Understanding the game of football at the college level and just being around the Big Ten crowd,” Allen said regarding what he is looking forward to at Rutgers. “As well as beginning the process of becoming a man and leave the ‘boy’ days behind me.”

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