Four-star QB Jake Allen has long been the headliner of Florida’s 2017 recruiting class, having committed to the Gators in July 2015.
This past weekend, Allen participated in the “Elite 11 Finals,” a camp for the best high school quarterbacks in the country where they get to work with experts like former NFL QB Trent Dilfer and recognized quarterback guru and trainer George Whitfield Jr.
Dilfer noted an eagerness to learn when speaking to 247Sports’ Luke Stampini about Allen.
“He took command, he understood his playbook, which I value a lot,” Dilfer said. “I value the mental side way more than anyone else, and I actually think it’s more important than the physical side at this stage of their careers. So, I was really impressed with how he took advantage of that preparation and how well he did there.”
Whitfield saw positives from Allen on the field as well.
“I liked Jake Allen, he was battling,” Whitfield told Stampini. “Now every time he looked like he was turning around, there was some great white shark right next to him, but certainly no flinch. He was game for everything. He showed a lot of what I like, down field accuracy, and he showed a lot of discretion because you didn’t see him force anything. I really liked what he was doing.”
“Jake Allen is only going to get better. I’m excited to see him like sophomore year of school what he looks like.”
Those quotes should be music to the ears of coach Jim McElwain and the rest of the UF coaching staff. While Allen is not what any recruitnik would call a “project,” there’s no need to rush him onto the field in 2017. Barring any unexpected transfers, three quarterbacks will be ahead of Allen on the depth chart next season: Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask.
A redshirt year for Allen to master the playbook before seeing live game action aligns perfectly with the Gators’ long-term plans for the quarterback position.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
