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While golfing at the American Century Championship tournament earlier this month, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was asked by MaxPreps to take a look at his football highlight reel from Firebaugh High School.
The video of Allen watching his younger self quickly went viral, racking up over 144,000 views on YouTube. What seemed to impress fans the most was not his natural talent as a teenager, but how the superstar quarterback still remembered the names of his former teammates featured in the highlight reel.
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One YouTube comment reads, “The fact he remembers his high school receivers and them being the first things he wanted to shout out was so cool,” while another person wrote in part, “There is a reason why he’s universally beloved by his teammates and has earned the respect of the NFL. Immense talent and humility are such a rare combination. Great video, the Bills have a great one on their hands.”
Allen didn’t receive much national attention as a high school senior. He spent a year at Reedley, a community college about 75 minutes away from Firebaugh, California, before earning a Division I scholarship to play at Wyoming. Before he grew into the 6-foot-5, 237-pound powerhouse that he is today, Allen’s size likely contributed to him falling under the radar.
“He was doing things with a 6’3”, 180-pound body that if he ever gets to 220, he’s going to be the most dangerous QB on the planet, Allen’s high school coach, Bill Magnusson, told the Casper Star-Tribune’s Brandon Foster in 2016. “I wasn’t trying to sell [recruiters] anything. I was telling them what I actually believed he could do.”
Allen Sent ‘About 1,000 Emails’ to Get Recruited to a Division I School
Allen, who was ranked as Madden 23‘s No. 1 quarterback when it comes to throw power in the NFL, offered his own explanation as to why he wasn’t recruited out of high school to Democrat & Chronicle‘s Sal Maiorana in July 2018, a few months after he was selected by the Bills as their No. 7 overall pick.
“I had no offers because no one had ever come out of Firebaugh for football,” he said of the small town made up of approximately 8,000 residents. “It’s not what we’re known for, so coaches didn’t get around to seeing much film, coaches didn’t get out to see me in person.”
Allen immediately flashed his star power potential after becoming Firebaugh’s starting quarterback his junior year, throwing for 2,208 yards with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Those numbers only improved during his senior year, when he threw for 3,061 yards and 33 touchdowns.
At Reedley, Allen threw 25 touchdowns with just four interceptions, but still, no recruiters came knocking. Allen then personally sent out “about 1,000 emails to every head coach, coordinator and position coach across the country, essentially begging for a chance,” Maiorana reported.
Just two schools replied to Allen’s email, Wymoing and Eastern Michigan. Crazily enough, Wyoming head coach, Craig Bohl, was only able to offer Allen a scholarship because a high school standout from Oregon, Eric Dungey, whom he thought was locked in, decided last minute to attend Syracuse instead.
Allen was Named the ‘Scariest QB’ in the NFL
While Allen’s journey to the NFL was an uphill battle, he’s firmly cemented himself as one of the most elite quarterbacks in the league. Last season, he threw for 4,407 passing yards and 36 touchdowns, and with an upgraded offensive line, and new weapons in the receivers room, he’s looking to have another break-out year.
According to Fox Sports 1 analyst Emmanuel Acho, Allen is the obvious No. 1 “Scariest QB” in the NFL, outranking Kansas Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tom Brady, Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, and Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.
Allen “is scary because he’s an aggregation of all these dudes on the list,” Acho says. “He can be in that perfect zone coverage, and Josh Allen will have that ball zoom right by you. Or he might tuck and run right that joint. And then worse, [he’s] big enough to truck you if you sleep. At 6-foot-5, 240 [pounds] — If you sit here and try to squat down and make the tackle, you might end up on your back.”
“You’ve seen him hurdle tackle several defenders,” Acho continues, noting how “he can embarrass you with his legs and his arms.”
In fact, the word “scary” when describing the Wymonin alum has become a popular term this offseason. Former Bills quarter Ryan Fitzpatrick appeared on Rich Gaenzler’s “Bull in the Basement” podcast on June 2, during which he discussed the mounting fear surrounding Allen.
“He continues to get better and better every year, which is a really scary thought,” Fitzpatrick said.
“I think we can all remember he was a 50 or 52 … 55% passer a couple of years ago and now, he’s just absolutely deadly. The accuracy, the decision-making. … He looks bigger and different from anyone else on the field. Couple that will guys love playing with him and playing for him, that’s a pretty good combination right there.”
Allen finished the 2021 season with a 63.3% completion rate, per Pro Football Reference.
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