Drew Allen — Meet the 2013 Syracuse Football team

DrewAllen
Allen is competing for the starting QB job

Every Wednesday over the summer, The Juice Online is going to highlight individual players on the 2013 Syracuse football team. This week, we’re profiling quarterback Drew Allen.

Syracuse quarterback Drew Allen doesn’t see his transfer as a step down. In fact, he sees plenty of talent and similarities between Syracuse and his former school, Oklahoma.

The newest Orange quarterback seemed at ease during Sunday’s media day, praising his new teammates, while making some lofty comparisons.

DrewAllen
Allen will compete for the starting QB position

“You look at guys like Beckett Wales, he’s the best tight end I’ve seen since Jermaine Gresham,” Allen said. “Jerome (Smith) and (Prince-Tyson) Gulley compare to Brennan Clay and Damian Williams at Oklahoma. We’re going to be a good group.”

» Related: Excitement builds as SU opens camp

How good SU will be will depend in part on how quickly it can solve its quarterback situation. Three-year starter Ryan Nassib graduated last May and now plays for the New York Giants.

Before Allen arrived, fifth-year senior Charlie Loeb and dual-threat Terrel Hunt figured to be the front runners for the job.

Now, it seems like Allen’s job to lose.

An All-American quarterback, and the 38th ranked quarterback coming out of high school, Allen never quite caught on with Oklahoma. He redshirted his first year on campus and then played behind Landry Jones.

Had he stayed at Oklahoma, he would’ve been competing with Blake Bell, Trevor Knight and Kendal Thompson.

Now, Allen has something at SU that he didn’t have before.

“The opportunity to compete,” Allen said. “Coach (Scott) Shafer, coach (George) McDonald, they, didn’t promise me anything (in terms of starting), but they did promise me that I would have a chance to compete for the starting job, and that’s all I can really ask for.”

Well, he could probably ask for more.

Syracuse has been picked by most of the media to finish at or near the bottom of the ACC. But Allen thinks this year’s team will surprise the league.

“The players are super talented, and they’re selfless and I can tell that just from visiting. I really like what coach McDonald is going to do with the offense,” Allen said. “These guys could start at Oklahoma. That’s the thing that made me fell good about coming here.”

» Related: Meet D-lineman Jay Bromley

Inside slant: On Sunday’s media day, Shafer kept repeating that the quarterback position was a wide open competition and there was no time table for a decision on who the starter will be. “We’re going to try to be real diligent,” Shafer said, “and take a look at what reps we get on tape of the kids that are new, Drew included.” It’s hard to gauge where Allen stands because he didn’t participate in spring practice, and as of right now, Hunt is at the top of the depth chart. But Allen has loads of talent and figures to make up that ground quickly.

Vitals:

  • Hometown: San Antonio, TX
  • High School: Alamo Heights
  • Position: Quarterback
  • Class: Senior
  • Height: 6’5″
  • Weight: 226lbs

Career highlights: Has appeared in 12 games during his college career. Against Iowa State in 2010, rushed for a seven-yard touchdown. In 2011, he appeared in five games, completing 9 passes for 71 yards.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.