OwlsDaily interviewed Temple wide receiver Ashton Allen after practice on Tuesday. The grad transfer arrived on North Broad Street this summer after four years on the track team at USC.
Allen was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Maryland, where he starred in football and track at The Bullis School (Potomac, Md.), which was in the headlines just this week for producing track gold medalists Masai Russell and Quincy Wilson at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Allen has one season of eligibility with the Owls and said he's aiming for a shot at the NFL.
OwlsDaily: Before we get to your story, would it be correct to assume you know Masai Russell and Quincy Wilson?
Allen: "Yeah, I went to school with Masai, two years, and then I've talked to Quincy since I'm an alumni. It was great to see them on that big stage. I was happy to see our high school get shown out on that big stage. So it was a proud moment."
OwlsDaily: So how and when did you come to decide to try football again after four years running track?
Allen: "It's a pretty long and complicated story. I guess I never really wanted to stop after high school. And then being at USC, I always had the love of playing football, just watching it, even at USC home games and on TV. So a few attempts of me trying to get on the USC team. But I decided that I wasn't going to run my senior year, outdoor, and that I was going to just try to focus on the transition. So I entered the portal in March and that's when the process started to pick up."
OwlsDaily: What kind of efforts did you make to join the football team at USC?
Allen: "It was hard to do it with a lot of rules and regulations with scholarships and stuff. So it was just hard to manage that and the logistics. So I just put my head down and stuck with the track team and hoped that another opportunity came in the future, and it did."
OwlsDaily: How did it work when you entered the portal as a track athlete for your name to be visible to football coaches?
Allen: "I had to learn this myself. When I entered the portal, I was only showing to track coaches. So I had to put myself out there through social media and all the connections I have. So any high school coaches, just any coaches I knew, they put my name out there and they helped me get to this position."
OwlsDaily: What was the connection that got the Temple coaches to look at you?
Allen: "My high school coach, Pat Cilento, he coached with Coach Foreman, and then Coach T.C. (Tyron Carrier) came out to Cali one time."
OwlsDaily: Did you have to do a lot of convincing for Temple to be willing to spend a scholarship on you when all you could show them was some five-year-old high school film?
Allen: "It was definitely a leap of faith to take me, not playing college ball at all and only having one year. They were impressed with my high school film, knew I had the speed, and I think most importantly they had the confidence that they could develop me. I trust Coach T.C. and Coach Langs to get me to where I need to be."
OwlsDaily: Why did you decide to run track over some big-time football offers coming out of high school?
Allen: "I don't know. I don't try to look back on it too much. I always say I was young, kind of a little blind. My two brothers were already at USC. And I love track. And I really wanted to go to USC. And I don't think the football side was happening. So I just decided to go with track."
OwlsDaily: As far as the transition back to football, how much can you master in such a short time in order to make an impact as soon as possible this fall?
Allen: "That definitely is a concern. The coaches are kind of making sure I get down one position as a wide receiver. Coming in the summer I was doing a lot of extra work with the playbook. But as I'm showing the confidence and gaining their trust on the field, just knowing what I'm doing, of course they could always put me other places. So I think I'm pretty good with the playbook now. I'm hoping I can expand my role."
OwlsDaily: Were you OK the first time getting hit again?
Allen: "That's no problem. I'm a big body. So I'll be good."
OwlsDaily: How about ball security? Did you ever drop the baton in the handoff in relays?
Allen: "Never in a handoff. I would say once in high school, but it was weird, I don't even want to go back and talk about that. But I'm pretty secure with the baton. And we rep a whole bunch of ball drills. So I feel like I'm going to be prepared."
OwlsDaily: What are you hoping to accomplish in the next four months and beyond?
Allen: "Definitely develop, get back in the rhythm of football, and then see how far I can take this. I feel like I have the talent to go to the NFL. That's my goal."
