6 things to know about Jonathan Allen, Bama’s lineman who’s drawing Heisman buzz

Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen was the fiercest member of the Crimson Tide’s national championship front last year, when he was a junior. Allen would’ve been picked somewhere in the NFL Draft, but he announced a few days after the title game that he’d stick around in Tuscaloosa for one more year.

The Tide are glad he did. Before they play LSU on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, CBS), let’s learn a bit about Allen and why he’s such a big deal. (We’ll hear lots about him on the broadcast, and with good reason.)

1. Allen is an extraordinary athlete.

He’s listed at 6’3 and 291 pounds. He moves as though he’s 6’3 and 180, and he hits like he’s 6’1 and 230. He makes no sense.

I direct you to this video of something Allen did to Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight a couple of weeks ago. It’ll make you understand the athlete he is.

When Allen’s coming, a cut block won’t do.

Here’s his first defensive TD of the year, against Ole Miss:

That GIF is sped up, but you can grasp that Allen can really boogie. That went for 75 yards and sort of stuck a fork in Ole Miss in a big Bama win.

And his second defensive TD, against A&M:

It’s cute watching a quarterback try to tackle Allen and be flicked away like a speck of dust, but it’s kind of sad watching a lineman try to chase him down.

Allen, needless to say, is a Piesman Trophy front-runner.

2. Allen has been a can’t-miss prospect for a while.

He was a five-star recruit out of Stone Bridge (Va.) in 2013, ranked as the No. 16 player in the country on the 247Sports Composite. If anything, that was low.

Here’s his junior tape:

I urge you to click to the 46-second mark of that video — if you’re not put off by watching a high school football player getting tomahawked into the earth.

3. Allen is also a Heisman Trophy contender, even though it’ll be hard to win.

Allen’s numbers are big. His six sacks are second on the country’s No. 1 team, a half-sack behind linebacker Tim Williams. His 10 quarterback hurries lead. And his 35 tackles are fifth on the roster, despite teams having the option to simply run plays away from him.

Some smart people think Allen’s a Heisman contender. Here’s FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman:

“Jonathan Allen is the best player on the best team in college football,” Feldman said in an argument on set with former USC QB Matt Leinart. “If you talk to coaches who face him, they would say he’s the most dominant player they play.”

Michigan’s versatile defender Jabrill Peppers has gotten more Heisman buzz than Allen, and Peppers deserves all the hype he gets. But Allen doesn’t get the benefit of also playing offense to help his case — except for when he decides to just take the ball. The rationale for Allen is that he’s the best end in the country, or at least he’s right there with A&M’s Myles Garrett.

4. Allen delivered the best quote in College Football Playoff history.

The Tide beat Michigan State in a playoff semifinal last year, 38-0. A reporter said to Allen that teams don’t exhibit such dominance at that stage of the season.

Your response, Jonathan?

Goodness.

5. Alabama uses Allen in different spots. He’s dangerous in all of them.

Allen’s a defensive end, but the Tide can line him up pretty much anywhere. Here he is as a two-technique defensive tackle, nose-to-nose with a guard.

Now watch what happens to that poor guard and his line-mates when Allen unilaterally decides to give them a ride into the turf, then sack their quarterback:

Allen can also line up at his typical end spot (on either side of the line, if Bama wants) and edge-rush you to death, going around linemen instead of through them.

He’s a terror wherever Alabama decides to put him. Have fun game-planning for that.

6. Allen’s one of the best Tide defenders ever.

If Alabama wins out, he’ll get his second title in a four-year career. The numbers he has already put together are staggering.

In 49 career games, Allen has 120 tackles. Of those, 35.5 have gone for a loss, driving opponents a net of 200 yards backward. He has 24 sacks, seven pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two blocked kicks, and two touchdowns. Allen wasn’t even a regular starter until his sophomore year.

Unless something apocalyptic happens, Allen will get first-team all-SEC honors this year for the third time. There’s no overstating his brilliance.