Miami Hurricanes RB Ajay Allen looking to emerge as a running / receiving back with power element

Miami Hurricanes RB Ajay Allen flashed his potential as a true freshman last year at Nebraska. The former four-star recruit out of Monroe, La. in the Class of 2022 (he was a TCU commit at one point) suffered a season-ending collarbone injury after playing in the first four games last year. He made the most of those opportunities on the field, with 33 carries for 190 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and two TDs. The injury came in the Oklahoma game – he had run 11 times for 49 yards prior to that.

Now Allen is looking to emerge in fall camp as a guy the Miami offense relies upon – coordinator Shannon Dawson has said he plans to go with a running backs-by-committee approach, and certainly the physical Allen can fit into those plans.

“Things are going great,” Allen said. “Me coming in – we have a great (running backs) room. (Miami) was one of my dream schools, so thought I’d come to The U and continue the legacy.”

At 5-11 and 185 pounds, Allen is an excellent receiving back who may not have high top end speed but runs with good pace and tempo and has great lower body power.

Allen says he’s preparing for a role as not just a runner but also a receiving back – he says Miami backs were catching as many as 1,400 balls a week this offseason off the JUGS machine.

“We catch the ball out of the backfield and run the ball – the running backs here can have great success,” Allen said. “Catching JUGS – it was a competition for who could catch the most which was great because it was pushing us to compete, also learning to catch the ball.”

The bottom line?

“This offense fits me – I did this kind of offense in high school,” Allen said. “I hope my role is to be the guy here. Everything has been going great. … I looked at the Houston offense – I like the offense. We can do multiple things in this offense.

“I think I can be a leader on this team. … I want to have a great year. This offense fits me very well.”

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