- Sep 8, 2014
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Good write up on QB Jake Allen:
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida-football/jake-allen-gators-qb-future/
By Walter Villa
December 9, 2016
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – When Jake Allen arrives at the University of Florida this summer, he will be – in a sense – a ninth-year freshman.
Allen, a 6-3, 210-pound senior at Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas, has been trained to be a big-time college quarterback by ex-Gator QB Eric Kresser, who was a backup on Florida teams that won SEC titles in 1993, ’94 and ’95.
Kresser, who now runs a passing academy, teaches his students much more than the art of throwing a tight spiral.
He drills them on pre-snap reads. He makes sure their drop-back steps coincide with the routes they want to throw. And Kresser even does mock interviews with his quarterbacks, videotaping them and rehearsing so that they know what to say to the media.
Tonight at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, Allen will take everything he has learned and use it for his final state title game as two-time defending champion Aquinas (11-2) takes on Tampa Plant (13-0) in the Class 7A marquee matchup at 8 p.m.
Plant, despite its unbeaten record, is unranked nationally by USA Today. Aquinas, meanwhile, is ranked No. 8 due to its tough schedule, which includes a 25-24 three-overtime loss to Las Vegas power Bishop Gorman, which finished its season 15-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Raiders also lost their opener 27-23 to Miami’s Booker T. Washington, which was a reigning four-time Class 4A state champ at the time. Allen threw an interception in the final minute when his Raiders were just 1 yard from victory.
There were extenuating circumstances – more on that in a minute – but Allen took criticism from everywhere, Aquinas fans, Aquinas haters … even teammates.
“It was brutal,” Allen said earlier this week. “I deleted Twitter for a couple of months. It was negative energy that I didn’t want to have. There are a lot of haters out there.”
Just prior to his crucial interception, Allen had passed to star wide receiver Trevon Grimes, a 5-star Ohio State commit who was tackled at the 1-yard line – some thought he scored.
Aquinas was out of timeouts, and the clock was ticking with less than 30 seconds left. To stop the clock, Aquinas wanted to spike the ball. But the coaches changed their minds, and the plan was to throw into the end zone for the game-winner.
Unfortunately, Allen’s teammates didn’t get that signal and just stood there, expecting a spike. BTW blitzed Allen, who couldn’t afford to take a sack because time would run out.
Allen threw the ball up, and it was picked in the end zone.
“It was hard,” Allen said when asked how his teammates reacted. “Some turned their backs and some didn’t.
“It wasn’t fun. I’m not going to lie. Whenever you are partially to blame for a loss, it’s not fun.
“Most (teammates) were there to help me. And I thank them for that.”
Allen, a four-star recruit on espn.com and three-star on 247Sports, recovered nicely from those two losses, guiding Aquinas to eight consecutive wins. He has completed 62.5 percent of his passes this season for 1,934 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
But those two painful losses have shaped him. Just as much as the training sessions with Kresser taught Allen, so did the bitter taste of defeat.
The result is a young quarterback who will arrive in Gainesville battle-tested, ready to compete for the starting job and solve the Gators’ quarterback quandry.
In other words, thanks haters.
“The adversity I have faced this year,” Allen said, “down the road, I will thank them for that.”
BORN TO BALL
Allen got his athletic ability from his father, Tim, who was a 6-4, 225-pound tight end at Boston University. Before that, Tim was a highly ranked youth tennis player in Massachusetts, but he switched to football because he preferred team sports.
And although Tim didn’t do much in his brief career at Boston – a series of concussions cut his career short – he came away with a positive feeling.
“I love what football teaches,” said Tim, who eventually graduated from Florida Atlantic University.
Those lessons have been passed along to Jake, the second of Tim and Leslie’s five children. (Their oldest child, and only daughter, Alexis, is dating Gators senior defensive lineman Joey Ivie.)
#HudlTop5 @Jakeallen_14 @jordanmerrell1 Jake Allen to Jordan Merrell for a TD pic.twitter.com/9CxfpVwJtr
— stevinscott (@coachs3132) December 5, 2016
Jake started out as a baseball pitcher, and even though Tim didn’t want him stressing his young arm with a curveball, Jake went to YouTube and learned the pitch on his own.
“He had a great 12-to-6 curve,” Tim said.
Jake was also physical, headstrong and inquisitive, attributes that are still present today.
As a boy, Leslie would take Jake to the park so he could jump on the monkey bars and “get all that energy out of him.”
One day, when he was 11, he threw a bad pitch, and it looked like he was about to cry on the mound. His mother, watching from the stands, yelled out: “It’s OK, Jake!”
Allen didn’t care for that interference and yelled back, “Be quiet, Mom!”
In other words, I’ve got this … and indeed he did.
Allen was always the type to ask endless questions. Why is that? How come? Why not this?
It was exhausting, Leslie said.
But in the fifth grade, Allen found Kresser, who had been working with Kevin Anderson, who is Leslie’s godson. Anderson just finished his career as the starting quarterback at Fordham, putting up big numbers.
With Allen, Kresser found a special talent.
“Jake was serious about training at an early age,” said Kresser, who was coached by Steve Spurrier in college and by Ken Anderson of the Cincinnati Bengals during a three-year NFL stint.
“I give Tim credit, too. When he saw what I was doing with Kevin (Anderson), he wanted Jake to start early.”
Courtesy of Tim Allen: Former Gators QB Eric Kresser, right, has helped develop Jake Allen, center. Father Tim, left, played tight end in college.
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida-football/jake-allen-gators-qb-future/
By Walter Villa
December 9, 2016
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – When Jake Allen arrives at the University of Florida this summer, he will be – in a sense – a ninth-year freshman.
Allen, a 6-3, 210-pound senior at Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas, has been trained to be a big-time college quarterback by ex-Gator QB Eric Kresser, who was a backup on Florida teams that won SEC titles in 1993, ’94 and ’95.
Kresser, who now runs a passing academy, teaches his students much more than the art of throwing a tight spiral.
He drills them on pre-snap reads. He makes sure their drop-back steps coincide with the routes they want to throw. And Kresser even does mock interviews with his quarterbacks, videotaping them and rehearsing so that they know what to say to the media.
Tonight at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, Allen will take everything he has learned and use it for his final state title game as two-time defending champion Aquinas (11-2) takes on Tampa Plant (13-0) in the Class 7A marquee matchup at 8 p.m.
Plant, despite its unbeaten record, is unranked nationally by USA Today. Aquinas, meanwhile, is ranked No. 8 due to its tough schedule, which includes a 25-24 three-overtime loss to Las Vegas power Bishop Gorman, which finished its season 15-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Raiders also lost their opener 27-23 to Miami’s Booker T. Washington, which was a reigning four-time Class 4A state champ at the time. Allen threw an interception in the final minute when his Raiders were just 1 yard from victory.
There were extenuating circumstances – more on that in a minute – but Allen took criticism from everywhere, Aquinas fans, Aquinas haters … even teammates.
“It was brutal,” Allen said earlier this week. “I deleted Twitter for a couple of months. It was negative energy that I didn’t want to have. There are a lot of haters out there.”
Just prior to his crucial interception, Allen had passed to star wide receiver Trevon Grimes, a 5-star Ohio State commit who was tackled at the 1-yard line – some thought he scored.
Aquinas was out of timeouts, and the clock was ticking with less than 30 seconds left. To stop the clock, Aquinas wanted to spike the ball. But the coaches changed their minds, and the plan was to throw into the end zone for the game-winner.
Unfortunately, Allen’s teammates didn’t get that signal and just stood there, expecting a spike. BTW blitzed Allen, who couldn’t afford to take a sack because time would run out.
Allen threw the ball up, and it was picked in the end zone.
“It was hard,” Allen said when asked how his teammates reacted. “Some turned their backs and some didn’t.
“It wasn’t fun. I’m not going to lie. Whenever you are partially to blame for a loss, it’s not fun.
“Most (teammates) were there to help me. And I thank them for that.”
Allen, a four-star recruit on espn.com and three-star on 247Sports, recovered nicely from those two losses, guiding Aquinas to eight consecutive wins. He has completed 62.5 percent of his passes this season for 1,934 yards and 25 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
But those two painful losses have shaped him. Just as much as the training sessions with Kresser taught Allen, so did the bitter taste of defeat.
The result is a young quarterback who will arrive in Gainesville battle-tested, ready to compete for the starting job and solve the Gators’ quarterback quandry.
In other words, thanks haters.
“The adversity I have faced this year,” Allen said, “down the road, I will thank them for that.”
BORN TO BALL
Allen got his athletic ability from his father, Tim, who was a 6-4, 225-pound tight end at Boston University. Before that, Tim was a highly ranked youth tennis player in Massachusetts, but he switched to football because he preferred team sports.
And although Tim didn’t do much in his brief career at Boston – a series of concussions cut his career short – he came away with a positive feeling.
“I love what football teaches,” said Tim, who eventually graduated from Florida Atlantic University.
Those lessons have been passed along to Jake, the second of Tim and Leslie’s five children. (Their oldest child, and only daughter, Alexis, is dating Gators senior defensive lineman Joey Ivie.)
#HudlTop5 @Jakeallen_14 @jordanmerrell1 Jake Allen to Jordan Merrell for a TD pic.twitter.com/9CxfpVwJtr
— stevinscott (@coachs3132) December 5, 2016
Jake started out as a baseball pitcher, and even though Tim didn’t want him stressing his young arm with a curveball, Jake went to YouTube and learned the pitch on his own.
“He had a great 12-to-6 curve,” Tim said.
Jake was also physical, headstrong and inquisitive, attributes that are still present today.
As a boy, Leslie would take Jake to the park so he could jump on the monkey bars and “get all that energy out of him.”
One day, when he was 11, he threw a bad pitch, and it looked like he was about to cry on the mound. His mother, watching from the stands, yelled out: “It’s OK, Jake!”
Allen didn’t care for that interference and yelled back, “Be quiet, Mom!”
In other words, I’ve got this … and indeed he did.
Allen was always the type to ask endless questions. Why is that? How come? Why not this?
It was exhausting, Leslie said.
But in the fifth grade, Allen found Kresser, who had been working with Kevin Anderson, who is Leslie’s godson. Anderson just finished his career as the starting quarterback at Fordham, putting up big numbers.
With Allen, Kresser found a special talent.
“Jake was serious about training at an early age,” said Kresser, who was coached by Steve Spurrier in college and by Ken Anderson of the Cincinnati Bengals during a three-year NFL stint.
“I give Tim credit, too. When he saw what I was doing with Kevin (Anderson), he wanted Jake to start early.”
Courtesy of Tim Allen: Former Gators QB Eric Kresser, right, has helped develop Jake Allen, center. Father Tim, left, played tight end in college.