Blue White Illustrated

E very Division I prospect feels as if he has something to prove as he heads into his freshman season. But for de- fensive back Marcus Allen, there's more to it than that. Fresh off an impressive junior season that earned him 26 verbal scholarship of- fers, Allen was gearing up for a big senior year. His ultimate goal was to not only lead Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., back to the MPSSAA 4A champi- onship, but to show the world that he de- served more than a three-star ranking from the recruiting services. The 6-foot- 2, 200-pound safety had already com- mitted to Penn State, and everything was looking up. His season started off exactly as he had hoped. Allen had 15 tackles and two fumble recoveries in Wise's first two games. But he suffered a major setback in game three, tearing multiple ligaments in his right an- kle. It turned out to be the end of his high school career. "Coming into the season, I really thought I was going to have a breakout season," Allen said. "As a matter of fact, I knew I was going to have a breakout season. I've never been so focused in my life. "So it really hit me hard when the injury happened because I wanted to be there for my teammates, for my brothers. I was kind of messed up in the head a little bit because I couldn't play. I knew my career wasn't over with, and that kept me going. But those are my guys, and you only get one senior season with your boys." After the surgery, Bill O'Brien made it clear that Penn State would honor its scholarship offer, giving Allen some re- assurance as he began his rehab. Once he was ready to start training again, he leaned on Roman Morris, the father of former Penn State cornerback Stephon Morris and co-founder of Prime Example, a de- fensive back academy in the Washington, D.C., area. "He wanted to go 100 percent as soon as he got cleared, but I made sure that we worked him in slow," Morris said. "He's a great competitor. He wanted [to be] right back in the mix right away. He was ready to challenge anyone, but we made sure to take things slow." In January, Allen was waylaid again when O'Brien announced he was headed to the Houston Texans. The coach's departure meant that Allen was never going to play for the staff that had stuck by him after his injury. "When Coach O'Brien left, it didn't really impact my decision or anything like that," Allen said. "But personally, he and all those coaches were the guys I was look- ing forward to playing for. So when he left, I was definitely a little upset, but I understood that this is a business and he has to make business decisions – decisions that are best for his family. "So it did hit me a little bit, but he had to do what's best for him, [just as] I com- mitted to Penn State because that's what's best for me." With his mind already made up, Allen never second-guessed his commitment. But like the other 16 prospects who were verbally committed at the time, he was anxious to find out who O'Brien's successor would be. After the news finally broke that it would be James Franklin, Allen headed to University Park the first weekend that the new coaches made themselves available. Upon meeting the staff, he felt confident that the program was headed in the right direction. "There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. When Coach Franklin and his staff came in, especially Coach [Bob] Shoop, we connected right away," he said. "They're a younger staff. They're real energetic compared to the other staff, so that clicked with me right away." Allen is now only weeks away from his enrollment. As in the first few weeks after rehab, he's still leaning on those who are connected to the Penn State family to lead him in the right direction. "I've been working out with Stephon every Saturday," he said. "He's been getting me ready for everything. Just working on the little things so I know all my stuff is right when I get up there. "It's just the basic DB training, but doing it with Steph, a guy who's actually been there already and has been successful, it's really helped me realize what I need to do to reach my full potential. Now, I feel like I'm ready to finally prove myself." ■ BACK IN ACTION Marcus Allen eager to get going after an injury-shortened high school career THE ALLEN FILE S T A T I S T I C S Made 15 tackles before suffering a leg injury that caused him to miss most of his senior season. ... Totaled 143 tack- les during his final three seasons at Wise High. H O N O R S Was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. ... Was a member of Rivals' Maryland Postseason Top 35, appearing at No. 23. |

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