Prospect Evaluation: Notre Dame Prospect Kyle Allen

Jan 3, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees (11) during practice for the 2013 BCS National Championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Nova Southeastern University. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame continues its trend of offering Pro-Style Quarterbacks with its recent offer to Arizona High School Quarterback Kyle Allen. According to 247Sports, Allen is the 5th best Quarterback in the country. The Irish need to land a Quarterback and according to the rankings, they are going for a home run here.

Arm Strength 

Allen has average arm strength for a college Quarterback. There is nothing comes off as extremely poor on film about his arm strength but he does not demonstrate an ability to throw the deep or with significant zip. This should not prevent him from being a Quarterback but a West Coast or Spread System would suit his talents best.

Accuracy

Allen is an above average Quarterback in the accuracy department. In his highlight film, he fits the ball into many tight windows. He puts the ball where only his receiver can catch the ball. For example, he makes a throw to the corner of the end zone where there are two defenders and his receiver. Allen places the ball toward the sideline where the defenders are unable to make a play and where only his guy can get it.

Size

Size for a Quarterback is quickly becoming a thing of the past. This was proven by Russell Wilson and partially by Notre Dame’s Everett Golson. However, by the old standards, Allen has a solid height to play Quarterback at 6’2.5″. He could grow a few more inches making him a prototypical NFL height. His weight is something that needs to be improved upon. He currently checks in at 185 and looks small on film. There is nothing that directly effects his game at this weight. But, when he takes a hit, he could be injured because of his lack of size. This can be addressed in a college weight room however,

Mobility 

Despite being label as a “Pro-Style” Quarterback, Allen has enough mobility to keep plays alive. He is quick enough to run some of the zone read plays that Notre Dame likes. He is similar to former Notre Dame backup Quarterback Gunner Kiel coming out of high school, not good enough to make plays solely with feet but good enough to keep the defense honestly. In other words, he is not Tommy Rees in the pocket.

Offers

His offer list is solid but it is not filled with top tier teams. It is littered with next level schools such as UCLA, Arizona State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia. These schools have excellent programs and win many games but they are not on the mantle of college football’s elite.

Allen is a solid college prospect. Each recruiting service has him rated as the 4th or 5th best Quarterback in the country. This could be because this is a down year for Quarterback but Allen does not feel like a high 4-star player. He feels more like a low 4-star or high 3-star player.