QB guru says Arkansas should be ‘excited’ about ‘throwback’ Austin Allen
By Andrew Olson
Published:
For Arkansas’ spring break, Razorbacks QB Austin Allen packed his bags for Florida. He wasn’t going to party in the Sunshine State, however, as he spent his days off working with quarterback guru Ken Mastrole in Boca Raton.
Mastrole, who runs his own quarterback academy, had high praise for the senior approaching his second year as the Hogs’ starting quarterback.
“I kind of draw him in like a throwback mold a little bit,” Mastrole told Gridiron Now’s Dan Matthews. “He’s a savvy player that understands the game. Obviously, he’s been around football his whole life. At Arkansas, they should be excited about him.”
After backing up his brother, Brandon Allen, Austin took over the starting job in 2016. Allen led the SEC in passing yards with 3,430. He also had the highest in another category, interceptions (15). Mastrole sought to work on arm speed and efficiency with Allen.
“We do it from different levels, where we’ll take away their legs by using only their upper body,” Mastrole said. “We measure the amount of torque they create (on their throws). Then we show them all of that on film and I’ll write up a report. I break it down to where it’s not all scientific and the guys get it. I show them clips during a game to show them, ‘here’s where you’re breaking down’ and ‘this is what you need to improve on.’”
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
