Javorius "Buck" Allen (born August 27, 1991) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
. He was drafted by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in the fourth round of the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
.
Early years
Allen attended
Lincoln High School in
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...
, where he played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and ran track. As a sophomore in 2008, he rushed for 1,044 yards on 162 carries (6.4 avg.) with ten touchdowns. In 2009, he missed his junior season with an injury. As a senior, he rushed for more than 1,500 yards and was named Super Prep All-Dixie and Prep Star All-Southeast. He was ranked as a three-star recruit by
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
and the 23rd best athlete. He committed to play college football at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
(USC) in February 2011.
In addition, he lettered all four years in
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
. He ran a personal-best time of 11.32 seconds in the
100-meter dash
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
at the 2009 Leon Home Meet, where he placed 10th. He posted a career-best time of 23.19 seconds in the
200-meter dash
The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
at the 2009 Chiles Capital City T&F Classic. In addition, he claimed a regional
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...
title at the 2009
FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is an organization whose purpose is to organize sports competition for high schools in Florida. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Florida uses ...
3A Region 1 after clearing a PR mark of 7.00 meters (22–9.5).
College career
Allen attended and played college football for USC from 2011–2014.
Allen was
redshirted
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
as a freshman in 2011. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, he appeared in three games, rushing for 32 over six carries. As a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Allen saw a much expanded role. He played in all 14 games with four starts. He recorded 785 rushing yards on 135 carries and 14
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
. After the season, he was named the team’s MVP. As a junior in 2014, Allen was USC's leading rusher with 1,489 yards on 276 carries with 11 touchdowns.
After his junior season, Allen entered the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
.
Professional career
Baltimore Ravens
2015 season
Allen was drafted by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in the fourth round, 125th overall, of the
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
. He was the tenth running back to be selected that year.
Allen received his first career carry during the season opener against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, finishing with nine carries for 30-yards and a reception for four yards. After running back
Lorenzo Taliaferro
Lorenzo Taliaferro (December 23, 1991December 16, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Lackawanna College and Coastal Carolina and was dra ...
was placed on injured/reserve with a season-ending injury during Week 4 and starting running back
Justin Forsett
Justin Forsett (born October 14, 1985) is an American former football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft ...
was injured during a Week 11 contest against the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
, the rookie, Allen, would be promoted to first string and receive his first career start the next week. Allen finished the game with a career-high 22 carries for 67 yards and five catches for 48 yards. In Week 12, Allen received his first career start and scored his first career touchdown on a 12-yard touchdown reception in the second divisional matchup against the Cleveland Browns. In the following game, against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, he had 63 rushing yards and 12 receptions for 107 yards and a receiving touchdown. In Week 16, Allen scored his first-career rushing touchdown against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. Overall, he finished his rookie season with 514 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 45 receptions, 353 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.
2016 season
With the emergence of
Terrance West
Terrance West (born January 28, 1991) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Towson and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. West has also played for the Tennessee Titan ...
and
Kenneth Dixon in the Ravens' backfield, Allen had a very limited role in the 2016 season. Overall, in eight games, he recorded nine rushes for 34 yards and three receptions for 15 yards.
2017 season
Coming into the 2017 season, Allen was in competition with
Danny Woodhead
Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an amateur golfer who has qualified for the United States Golf Association championship tournaments, and was a former professional American football running back. He played college football a ...
and
Terrance West
Terrance West (born January 28, 1991) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Towson and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. West has also played for the Tennessee Titan ...
. Woodhead was lost to a hamstring injury in the season opener against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. In the game, Allen had 21 rushes for 71 yards in the 20–0 victory. In the Week 2 game against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, he had 14 rushes for 66 yards and five receptions for 35 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 24–10 victory. He had 21 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown three weeks later in a 30–17 win over the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. In Week 10, Allen had seven catches and rushes apiece, had 65 total offensive yards, and caught a receiving touchdown in a 23–20 loss to the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. He rushed five times for 15 yards and a touchdown in Week 12 against the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
as the Ravens won 23–16. Allen had his best game of the season two weeks later against the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
, when he carried six times for 25 yards, had two catches for 32 yards, and had two rushing touchdowns in a 38–39 shootout loss. Allen finished the 2017 season with 591 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 46 receptions, 250 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.
2018 season
In Week 3, Allen had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the 27–14 victory over the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
. On the 2018 season, Allen finished with 110 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 35 receptions for 196 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
New Orleans Saints
On May 28, 2019, Allen signed with the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on July 30, 2019. He was released on August 9.
New York Giants
On October 11, 2019, Allen signed with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. Allen had his first touchdown of the season, a one yard-rush in the fourth quarter, in Week 15 against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in the 36–20 victory. In the 2019 season, he appeared in ten games and had ten carries for 36 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
References
External links
USC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Javorius
1991 births
Living people
Players of American football from Tallahassee, Florida
American football running backs
USC Trojans football players
Baltimore Ravens players
New Orleans Saints players
New York Giants players
Lincoln High School (Tallahassee, Florida) alumni