Austin Allen, Fayetteville
Photo by Richey Miller
capped an epic junior season in which he threw for 4,150 yards and 46 touchdowns by leading
Fayetteville (Ark.) to a shocking, come-from-behind victory over nationally-ranked Bentonville in the 7A state final.
He'll enter his senior season as one of the top pro-style quarterbacks in the country.
Many expect that Allen is a lock to end up at Arkansas for multiple reasons. Not only is the school down the road from his high school, but his brother,
Brandon, is a freshman quarterback for the Razorbacks.
Additionally, his father, Bobby, has been an assistant coach at Arkansas for 15 years.
Nevertheless, Fayetteville head coach Daryl Patton believes Allen is seriously entertaining all of his options.
"Brandon knew he wanted to go to Arkansas without a doubt," Patton said. "Austin said, 'Coach, I'm open to more than just Arkansas. I want to see what else is out there.'"
Patton explained that Allen heading to Arkansas was not as family-friendly as it might seem. He could beat out his brother for the job (relegating Brandon to the bench) or be forced to sit behind him.
Additionally, while Arkansas was the only school to offer Brandon a scholarship, Austin is being pursued by teams around the country.
North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and others have offered, according to Patton, with the likes of Notre Dame and Georgia closely monitoring him.
Patton believes that Allen is comparable to any top quarterback in the country.
"I've had people that have seen the top guys nationally tell me that he's right there," Patton said.
