Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen finished second in the voting for the NFL's MVP award for the 2020 season, as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft continued his impressive ascent from an unheralded high school prospect, to the leading passer and rusher for his junior college team, to an all-conference player, to one of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL.
Here's everything you need to know about Josh Allen's college career.
The vitals on Josh Allen
School: Wyoming
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-5
Weight: 233 pounds
Years active: 2015-17
Here are Josh Allen's career stats in college. Scroll to the right to view the complete stats.
| Year | games | completions | attempts | comp. % | Yards | Y/A | TD | int | rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 66.7 | 51 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 138.1 |
| 2016 | 14 | 209 | 373 | 56.0 | 3,203 | 8.6 | 28 | 15 | 144.9 |
| 2017 | 11 | 152 | 270 | 56.3 | 1,812 | 6.7 | 16 | 6 | 127.8 |
| Career | 27 | 365 | 649 | 56.2 | 5,066 | 7.8 | 44 | 21 | 137.7 |
Where did Josh Allen go to college?
After spending a year at Reedley Community College in Reedley, Calif., Josh Allen spent three years at Wyoming, where he played in the Mountain West. At Reedley Community College, Allen led the team in both passing and rushing yards, and he was responsible for 36 total touchdowns.
What kind of prospect was Josh Allen in high school?
Allen wasn't highly recruited coming out of Firebaugh High School but after his freshman season at Reedley Community College, he was a top-200 junior college prospect and the No. 5 dual-threat junior college quarterback in the 2015 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.
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What was Josh Allen's record in college?
In the 27 career games that Allen appeared in for Wyoming, the Cowboys went 16-11, and two of those losses were in his only appearances during his sophomore season, when he played a limited number of snaps, throwing just six passes in those two games. Wyoming went 8-5 during Allen's junior season and 8-3 in his 11 appearances as a senior.
Records set by Josh Allen
Here are the records and statistical rankings set by Allen in college:
- Highest single-season passing efficiency in Wyoming history: 127.78
- 3rd in Wyoming history in single-season total offense: 3,726 yards
- 5th in Wyoming history in career passing touchdowns: 44 touchdowns
- 5th in Wyoming history in single-season passing yards: 3,203 yards
- 8th in Wyoming history in career passing yards: 5,066 yards
- T-8th in Wyoming history in career total offense: 5,833 yards
- 10th in Wyoming history in career pass completions: 365 completions
What were some of Josh Allen's best games in college?
Here are some of Allen's most notable performances in college:
Wyoming 45, UC Davis 22 | Sept. 17, 2016
Excluding a loss to Eastern Michigan during Allen's sophomore year, when he completed 3-of-4 pass attempts, Allen's career-high in completion percentage came against UC Davis, when he connected on 11-of-15 passes, or 73.3 percent.
Allen was never known for his accuracy, completing 56 percent of his attempts as a junior and 56.2 percent as a senior, before his completion percentage dropped to 52.8 percent as a rookie in the NFL. It wasn't until the 2020 NFL season, when Allen's completion percentage jumped to 69.2 percent, that he truly became a consistently accurate quarterback, which is something he had showed briefly in a September win over UC Davis.
Wyoming 52, Utah State 28 | Nov. 5, 2016
Allen was responsible for five total touchdowns in the win — the most of his career — and he showed off his ability to be a dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown, including a career-best 7.3 yards per carry on nine attempts. Through his first three seasons in the NFL, Allen rushed for a combined 1,562 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns, and games like Wyoming's win over Utah State showed that the 6-5 quarterback had that kind of potential on the ground.
UNLV 69, Wyoming 66 | Nov. 12, 2016
Allen threw for a career-high 334 passing yards in a high-scoring road loss to conference foe UNLV. He averaged 10.8 yards per attempt, but he struggled with accuracy, completing just 45.2 percent of his 31 attempts, which included two interceptions. His four passing touchdowns tied a career-high and it marked the second game in a row in which he tossed four touchdown passes.
This game went to triple-overtime, where the Rebels prevailed on a field goal. There were seven lead changes in the game, which featured Wyoming rallying from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
What awards did Josh Allen win in college?
Here are the awards and honors Allen won in college:
- 2016 Second Team All-Mountain West
- 2017 Honorable Mention All-Mountain West
- 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Most Valuable Player
What did people say about Josh Allen?
Wyoming coach Craig Bohl, when Allen signed with the Cowboys: "The future really looks bright for Josh (Allen). He is a guy who has really matured during his one year in junior college. He is a tall guy, who is putting on weight. He has a strong arm. He’s got a great head for the game. Any time you are playing a pro-style offense like we run, you need a trigger man who can really make a difference, and we feel great about Josh’s ability.”
Air Force safety Weston Steelhammer, after Wyoming beat Air Force in 2016: "He made something out of nothing more than once."
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz: "You're not going to slow him down unless you play really good team defense. There were some bumps in the road, but that traces back to younger, more inexperienced players. The guys played through it."
Bohl, after a 27-0 win over Gardner-Webb: "Josh can take the ball places on the field that most defenses do not cover, and as a result when we have that ability, we're going to take advantage of that."
Wyoming wide receiver C.J. Johnson, after Oregon beat Wyoming in 2017: "He's a big guy. I think a lot of other quarterbacks in the country who would take some of those hits would be down and out for the count."
Bohl, after Allen returned from injury to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: "In today's world where players are making all kinds of decisions about bowl games, Josh chose to play and I applaud him for that. If there's any NFL team looking for a player out there, you're never going to find a bigger competitor and a better leader than him."
