7/31/2017 football Edit

Josh Allen talks the talk, but he's also becoming a leader

Justin Rowland • CatsIllustrated

Publisher

Justin Rowland has been CatsIllustrated.com's publisher since 2015. He covered college football recruiting at programs nationwide for 15 years prior to that.

Josh Allen hasn't reached his potential. In fact, he may just be scratching the surface of what he's capable of. And he seems to know it.

On Sunday, Mark Stoops said Allen can take his game to another level if he pays attention to the little things and commits to an attention to detail. As for Allen, well, he seems to think he's on the right track.

Who's the fastest player on Kentucky's football team?

"Josh Allen," according to Josh Allen.

Who's the strongest player in the Wildcats' locker room?

"Josh Allen," the same rising junior linebacker said in third person.

Who's the most humble player?

"Josh Allen," right on cue.

The sequence may have been tongue in cheek. In fact, with newly arrived freshmen linebackers Alex King and Joshua Paschal standing alongside him, Allen was laughing and drawing laughs with his answers. But when CatsIllustrated.com caught up with Allen this week at Kentucky's football media day there was an undeniable sense of real confidence.

“I’m not gonna lie and tell you something when I know I’m the fastest player. I’m just saying,” Allen said.

The story might be funny, and Allen may have been stretching the truth a tad (though he'd surely deny that), but here's the bigger point. Allen, suddenly a seasoned veteran on Kentucky's 2017 football team, had taken two freshmen under his wing, helping them to get acclimated to their surroundings and guiding them along the way at their first annual media day appearance.

So, yes, with Allen you get the confidence. But Kentucky's also got an older player who seems to relish his role as a mentor.

“You know, besides that I want to see my team be great, I want to see Josh Paschal and Alex King be great," he said, pointing to the two players standing on either side of him.

But he does have personal goals.

"I want to double my sacks. Get more than 10 sacks. Do everything I can to be great. That’s what I’m going to do,” he said.

Aside from counting stat goals, Allen has another goal in mind, and part of it involved standing there with King and Paschal, spending time with them.

“Just need to take more of a leadership role and I feel like that can help me out to go a long way. So just talking to Alex and Josh and try to get them to where I was last year just being a sophomore, trying to get them two to learn that," Allen said. "We didn’t have what we have this year. The fact that we have leaders now, and I’m trying to be one of those guys.”

Kentucky's got something else it didn't have when Allen first arrived: One of the most heralded linebacking corps in the SEC. He's a part of it. He's one reason for the praise the group is getting in the preseason.

Allen said he and the other linebackers are taking pride in the level of their play. Beyond that, Kentucky has carved out an impressive linebacker tradition in the NFL, too. So there's an element of pride in being a Kentucky linebacker and part of that legacy.

“Yeah, there is," Allen said. "But my mindset is right now going into the season, I want to be the best linebacking corps in the nation. I’m trying to be the best in the nation.”