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By: LARRY VAUGHT
John Fiore has sent defensive ends to play at Ohio State, Boston College and Rutgers and knew he had another big-time player this year in Josh Allen. However, the coach at Montclair (N.J.) High School had trouble convincing anyone else that Josh Allen was that good.
Finally, though, he got the attention of the University of Kentucky coaching staff and in a matter of a few days he got a visit from UK, made his official visit to Kentucky and committed to the Cats. On Wednesday, he officially became part of UK’s 2015 recruiting class when he signed his scholarship.
“Even in today’s age with all the modern technology and social media, some kids slip through the cracks,” said Fiore. “He is a heck of a player. We were very fortunate to get him this year and he had a great season with 22 1/2 sacks and also played on offense for us.”
Fiore is “good friends” with Rutgers defensive coordinator and said he “argued” with him about Allen’s talent, especially compared to some other players that Rutgers did offer scholarships. But an offer never came for Allen. He was committed to nearby Monmouth, a FCS school. He had an offer from Buffalo, and Kansas and Hawaii had shown interest.
Fiore is yet to understand why other big-time programs passed on the 6-4 Allen, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds, before Kentucky jumped at the chance to sign him. The coach had even discussed the idea of Allen going to prep school to attract more offers.
“He is a kid that could be a big wide receiver. You could make him a hybrid tight end. He would make an unbelievable outside linebacker or defense end you could redshirt and then get him to 260 or 270 pounds,” Fiore said. “We won our third straight state title (as a public school) and he was unbelievable for us. He had 22 1/2 sacks and last year the kid now at Ohio State set our school record with 23 1/2. We play in one of the top leagues in the state and play some of the best teams around.
“Josh just did it with athleticism. He cuts on a dime and makes plays. He’s a special kid. I was very disappointed with how his recruitment went. I was expecting a lot more offers when it was a no-braier he would be a (academic) qualifier easily. Anybody who would stop and listen, I would show film and talk him up. I am just fortunate we got a connection with (UK coach Mark) Stoops. We got the film out and it all fell together in about two days.
“One day we are going to be laughing about this and Rutgers is going to be dying that they passed on this kid. We played him at wide receiver and tight end. Our tight end went down and we did not have another one ready, so we moved him. He’s a bright kid and did not have a problem learning the position. He did most of his (offensive) damage outside. He had one touchdown at tight end and four outside. We’ve not had a better kid catching a fade route. That’s how athletic he is. What’s so great about him is that whatever you need, he can do it.”
So how did Allen slip through the cracks?
He’s a New Jersey native and Fiore said he always heard about him, his twin brother and three sisters. He has one sister — — playing basketball at Louisville who was a McDonald’s All-American. His twin brother, Isaiah, was held back a year and is a junior.
“I wish they had done that with Josh. If they had, he would have had 30 Division I offers because he has just turned 17,” Fiore said.
His brother went to Alabama to live with an aunt in middle school. In high school, it was Allen’s turn to make the move to Alabama where Fiore said he was an all-state receiver while his brother returned to New Jersey.
“Last summer he came home to hang out. He came to practice and we talked and I busted his chops and told him he had always had a home with us if he came back to New Jersey,” the coach said. “He never went back to Alabama. He was at the park playing hoops with our quarterback, who is now at Boston College, and the quarterback called to tell me his (Allen’s) mom was registering him for school.
“He missed just one day of camp, but if he had been with us all summer he would have been even better. He learned a ton of football with us. He’ll get more of that now with Kentucky and playing in the SEC is just a great opportunity for him.”
Fiore calls Allen a “great kid” to have on a team.
“You are not going to come in here and be a team captain in one year, but he was a senior leader with a great personality and provided a good vibe in the locker room,” the coach said. “He’s just an awesome kid. He is going to do the right things. He is never going to disgrace the Kentucky football program.”
Allen had not played basketball since his freshman year in high school, but the Montclair coach “needed” him and Fiore also thought that might help show off his athleticism to recruiters. His three sisters are all scholarship basketball players in college and an uncle also played college basketball.
“He’s averaging a double-double and had 21 (points) and 15 (rebounds) the night before he made his visit to Kentucky,” Fiore said. “He’s a gifted athlete. His ceiling is unbelievable. He has not even scratched the surface of his potential yet. He is going to be someone eventually in the SEC you will be talking about like you do players at Alabama and Auburn. He’s the real deal and down the road everybody is going to see just what Kentucky got here.”
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