The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 61 ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? in only one game in 2013. He handled kickoff duties in 11 games during Hoke's final season in 2014 prior to the arrival of Jim Harbaugh in December of that year, which was a coaching move that sent waves throughout college football and the program. The expectations were cranked up, and Allen was happy he stuck it out through the coaching change. Michigan won 10 games in back-to-back seasons and was a bad spot in Columbus in 2016 away from playing in U-M's first Big Ten Championship game, a goal that ulti- mately would not be reached until 2021. "Once Jim came in, obviously, we loved Coach Hoke, but when Harbaugh came in it was a little bit of a difference in culture, but always progressing," Al- len told The Wolverine at the U-M Club of Greater Flint's golf outing this sum- mer. "[We were] always trying to get better. And then, we started doing well and we started winning games. "It was nice to be a part of that and that environment. Everyone bought into it. A lot at that time was such a shock. A lot of guys wanted to leave, a lot of guys wanted to transfer. But they would've missed out on the best two years of their life or whatever it could have been. "We just staying committed to it. Now look at what we have because of it. All these relationships and memories." Allen also has Harbaugh and his staff to thank for a major mechanical change made during the 2016 season. In the weeks that preceded a 78-0 blowout win over Rutgers in Piscataway, Allen had missed 4 of his last 5 field goal at- tempts, but the staff identified a tweak that needed to be made. He never had to attempt a field goal in the game, but Harbaugh said after the victory what he had seen. "I think we saw part of the problem one time," Harbaugh said on Oct. 8, 2016. "He's rushing some of his kicks. He rushed one, and we had it on the stopwatch. Then reminded him. That's the biggest issue. You want to be in that 1.25, 1.3 [second] operation time and he was getting down there one time where he was 1.1. That's the identifiable thing. Hopefully we keep working on that and end up right in that sweet spot, 1.25, 1.3." Allen was perfect the rest of that season, going 15 of 15 down the stretch while also handling the full-time punt- ing duties. Following his time at U-M, Allen went unselected in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, coached by John Harbaugh, during the offseason. Allen would then sign with the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the CFL. He made 11 of 12 field goals and hit 25 punts for 1,093 yards (43.7 average) with a long of 65 in his lone season in the CFL. Allen, now back in the Detroit area, works in sales and programming for Keyence Corporation. The company, founded in 1974, is an innovative leader in the development and manufacturing of industrial automation and inspection equipment worldwide. "In my group we do machine auto- mation," Allen said. "So, vision-guided robotics, camera stuff. I've been there a few years. It's been good trying to figure out after football what I wanted to do. I'm still figuring it out. But we've been doing that. Detroit keeps us busy with all the automotive builders around the area." Allen has taken it upon himself to also be visible within the U-M community and its vast network of alums and re- sources. He wants to be a part of helping the next generation and give back to his alma mater as best he can. "I'm a little younger and graduated not too long ago, but am starting to fig- ure life out and now trying to get in- volved as much as I can," Allen said. "So, whether it's connecting with former players or just getting more informa- tion from the guys, figuring out ways that I can stay connected, and whether it's the alumni association down in Ann Arbor or in Flint. Just finding ways to get involved." Allen has also been able to enjoy U-M's recent run of dominance over Ohio State and its College Football Play- off National Championship in 2023 from the fan and alumni perspective now. While he wishes it could have hap- pened for his group or other guys, seeing it happen at all has made him proud. " It's an awesome feeling watching them live out their dream and get the victory," Allen said. "Unfortunately, it didn't happen when I was there, but I remember going to spring games when I was a kid. Seeing guys like Zoltan Mesko, seeing Mike [Martin] on the sidelines and we're like, 'Holy crap.' "Being that close, and then going through it and then now watching these guys go through it, just living out their dreams has been awesome." ❑ ❱ The Kenny Allen File Michigan Accomplishments: Three-year letterman (2012-16) … Two-time All-Big Ten honoree (2016: second-team punter by coaches and media, honorable mention placekicker; 2015: Third-team media, honorable mention coaches as a kicker) … Back-to-back 100-point scoring seasons (2015-16). Professional Accomplishments: Spent time with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens (2017) and Hamilton Tiger Cats (2017) … Current a sales engineer at Keyence Corporation (2022-present). They Said It: "People used to joke, every time they drove by the high school in Fenton, they would see balls flying through the air. He was there every day, non-stop, practicing. He was just so focused and dedicated. For me, maybe (I'm) just being Mom, but all he needed was an opportunity, and he would get what he was looking for." — Stacy Allen, via The Michigan Daily (2016) He Said It: "Hey, just make it and I'm happy. I don't care. From 56, from 65, I don't care. Just make it, and he's been doing a great job. Seeing the punters and kickers, and the special teams in general excel has been awesome. It makes me happy to watch it. [If he's also taking kickoffs], don't hit too many during the week and make sure you get an ice bath." — Allen's advice to senior kicker Dominic Zvada ❱ Allen "I'm a little younger and graduated not too long ago, but am starting to figure life out and now trying to get involved as much as I can. … Connecting with former players … the alumni association."