When it comes to Alabama football, the biggest stars can sometimes go unnoticed.
Defensively, fans of the Crimson Tide had names such as Dylan Moses, Christian Harris, Christian Barmore, DJ Dale, Patrick Surtain II, William Anderson, Josh Jobe and Jordan Battle all highlighted as impactful players. While a few of those athletes proved to be standouts, this season has been a special one for Christopher Allen at outside linebacker as a redshirt junior.
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Allen, a native of Baton Rouge, La., was healthy for the first time since his freshman year.
He arrived at the University of Alabama in 2017 as a four-star and though a knee injury robbed him from playing in 2018, he returned the following season and has been strong through 11 games this year. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder earned the starting position at strong-side “SAM” linebacker and has been an exceptional edge setter. Allen leads the Tide and Southeastern Conference in tackles for loss (12), and he is among the team leaders for sacks (six).
Five of his six sacks came in meetings against Mississippi State, Kentucky, Auburn, Arkansas and Florida.
He also nine of his 12 stops for loss in matchups versus Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Florida.
Allen has collected 35 total tackles, five quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. During its seven contests with Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Auburn, LSU and Arkansas, Allen paced the Tide to allowing just 77 total points for an average of 11 points per game.
He earned Alabama’s Defensive Player of the Week from the coaching staff six times, while being selected second-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches. Allen would also pick up the Defensive Achievement Award, which goes to the player who has played a critical role in the effectiveness of this unit, at the Tide’s annual awards banquet.
According to Mac Jones, the team loves Allen even though he does not always get the credit he deserves.
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“I love Chris,” Jones said. “He has a great personality. He’s hilarious. He brings a lot of energy. He’s a big, strong guy and something I noticed halfway through the season was he’s way up in production points for doing his job on defense. Chris is a guy that people don’t talk about as much as they should, and he’s a great leader on our team. He lines up and does what he is supposed to do and he celebrates with his teammates.”
Nick Saban has mentioned a few times about how Allen’s confidence has grown.
He has become more sure of himself as a pass rusher and edge setter. With him healthy, Alabama has a three-headed monster of Allen, Anderson and Barmore coming at quarterbacks.
He has an opportunity to create some big moments in the College Football Playoff, as the Tide is looking for national championship No. 18 in school history. Also, Allen has a chance to raise his NFL Draft profile even more. Per yours truly of Touchdown Alabama Magazine, he has played his way into being a third-rounder for 2021.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
