Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 NOV. 13, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY DAVID MCKINNEY N otre Dame safety commit Derrik Al- len could undoubtedly get by in life on just his football skills. The Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter standout's abil- ity on the field earned him scholarship offers from top programs all over the country, in- cluding Alabama, Au- burn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Michi- gan and Ohio State. Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell has Allen rated as the No. 1 player in Notre Dame's class, an 18-man group that includes 10 four-stars and eight Rivals250 prospects. In fact, Driskell rated Allen as the best safety prospect to commit to Notre Dame since class of 2007 four- star Harrison Smith, a current starter and two-time Pro Bowl safety for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Allen's football acumen has cer- tainly afforded him some unique opportunities in life, but his intel- ligence — coupled with the way he was raised — may have earned him scholarships even if he didn't play football. Allen is the son of Derrik Allen Sr., a graduate of Army West Point, and Chinita Allen, a graduate of Colum- bia University. The Allens encouraged their chil- dren to strive for excellence from the time they were little, and so far they've gotten just that. Allen committing to Notre Dame was exciting for his parents, but in some ways, it was just their son meeting another expectation. "We have a track record in our house," Chinita Allen said. "Our other children are very successful, so it's become the norm. We're not looking at it as if it's something that's particularly special. "It's just something he's been do- ing all along." It's not every day a top player in Georgia spurns an offer from the in- state Bulldogs and top SEC schools, and Allen's Notre Dame commit- ment definitely caught some people off guard. His mother was not among those who were surprised. She knew early on that her oldest son was destined to land at a university where educa- tion is valued as much at is at home. "It's not a surprise," Chinita Allen said. "He's been working for it, and he's been raised in a manner where we value hard work and dedication." There were some other schools in- volved, but according to Allen Sr., his son knew pretty quickly after see- ing Notre Dame up close that South Bend was the place he wanted to be. "We were sitting at the table talking about some other visits we were going to take," Allen Sr. said. "He looked at my wife and I and said, 'We can take the visits if you want to, but I know where I want to play college football. I want to play at Notre Dame." The factors that went into Allen's decision were numerous, and foot- ball was just one part of the process, but there was one thing that all three Allens needed to know before Derrik could make a decision. Where Allen chose to go to school needed to be a place where he could grow in all phases of life, not just on the football field or in the weight room. Allen Sr. said the Notre Dame coaching staff sent the message loud and clear that South Bend was exactly the right place for that to happen. "It was about prac- ticing academic excel- lence, athletic excellence and faith excellence," Allen Sr. said. "That message was consistent from everybody, and we were impressed that everybody was consis- tent in what the goals were." Allen is a unique prospect in that football is important to him, but not all-important. Plenty of talented prospects men- tion how important academics are to their decisions, but when Allen or his parents say that education is their first priority, they mean it. In their minds, Notre Dame is a place that can turn Derrik into both the football player and the man he wants to be. "I can see Derrik developing as a person there as well as a football player," Chinita Allen said. "Some- times when he leaves football games, he's going to build computers with his friends. That's the other side of Derrik, and I feel like Notre Dame will nurture that." Academics are a high priority for the Allen family. But that doesn't mean watching their son play in Notre Dame Stadium every Satur- day won't put a gigantic grin on his parent's faces. "I must admit, it does make you very proud," his father said. "I al- ways knew Derrik was a talented kid and could play college football. Did I know he was a Power Five, Notre Dame-type kid? No. "But as we went through the process and he started looking at schools, we visited Notre Dame and I was like, 'Wow, this place is special.'" ✦ Notre Dame Can Nurture 'The Other Side' Of Safety Commit Derrik Allen Rivals rates Allen as the No. 7 safety and No. 82 overall player in the nation. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM