#91 Jordan Allen
Redshirt Junior | 6-4 | 262 lbs. | Olathe, Kansas
- Position: Defensive End
- Previous College: None
- Projection: Starter (by default)
- Status: On Scholarship
Jordan Allen (b. June 13, 2005), our only returning true pass rusher with actual game experience at K-State, shows good acceleration, stamina and toughness (not to mention explosive jumping ability). He is majoring in business administration. Despite his talent, Allen redshirted and did not see any game action in 2023.
He saw action in all 13 games in 2024, as both a reserve defensive end and on special teams. He tallied five tackles on the year, including a 7-yard sack at West Virginia.
Allen had
three tackles against the Mountaineers, and one apiece against UT Martin and Oklahoma State. He was in for 58 defensive snaps during the season, with a high-water mark of eight against both Colorado and West Virginia when our depth was challenged.
Allen also was a key member of the kickoff return and kickoff coverage units, and he tied for second on the team with three tackles on kickoff coverage.
Last season, he played in all 12 games, recording 17 tackles, five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a pass breakup over his 335 defensive snaps and 74 special teams plays.
Allen posted a career-high five tackles with a tackle for loss at Oklahoma State and came back with a career-best two tackles for loss at Utah, which included a sack. In all, he had three total tackles against the Utes.
Allen opened the season with two tackles and a sack against Iowa State in Ireland, while he had two tackles apiece against UCF, Kansas and Texas Tech.
He broke up a pass against TCU and earned Academic All-Big 12 honors.
Allen prepped under head coach Ron Litchfield at Olathe High School South, where he was rated the 31st-best weakside defensive end in the Class of 2023 by On3 and Rivals, while On3 also ranked him as the third-best overall player in the state of Kansas.
A first-team all-state selection by The Wichita Eagle as a linebacker during his senior campaign, he also was an honorable mention pick as a wide receiver.
Allen also earned first-team all-state honors from Sports in Kansas and KSHSAA Covered, and was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Eagle and Sports in Kansas in 2021.
Allen selected K-State over a list of impressive offers from Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico State, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, USC, Vanderbilt and Washington, as well as strong recruiting interest from Nebraska.
His primary recruiter was his position coach, Buddy Wyatt, with help from former recruiting coordinator Taylor Braet, who now serves as director of player personnel and high school relations for Collin Klein.
“Jordan Allen is a very talented athlete,” Wyatt said in 2024. “He’s strong. He’s explosive. He’s weighing around 260 and it doesn’t look like it. He has really worked hard to learn our scheme, so he’s not making the mistakes he made last spring ball. He’s improved his pass rush ability. I’m excited about his future.
“Jordan has the ability to make a lot of plays just because of his physical ability. He’s big, he can run, he’s very strong and explosive. When he learns how to play this game, he’s going to be a force to reckon with.”
He is also apparently stepping up as a leader this offseason, Klein said during his pre-spring news conference:
You look at Rex Van Wyhe on defense, and Jordan Allen and Zashon Rich …. I think all those guys have really done a great job of facilitating those (driving energy and driving spirit) relationally on both sides of the ball.
This leadership isn’t really a surprise, though, because Allen seems to embody the “new old school” toughness philosophy that Klein brought back with him from College Station, based on his comments late last season:
There’s a different mentality being the underdog. K-State has always had that underdog mentality. When we see adversity, it challenges our players to play harder with that chip on the shoulder.
