4/30/2023 football Edit

Nebraska RB Ajay Allen enters transfer portal

Zack Carpenter • InsideNebraska

Publisher

Zack Carpenter is the publisher of Inside Nebraska. He previously covered recruiting and the team beat for Ohio State, Clemson, South Carolina and recruiting at the national level for three years.

Nebraska lost one of the most talented players on its roster on Sunday: Running back Ajay Allen has entered the transfer portal.

Inside Nebraska confirmed that the freshman is looking to move on after spending one season with the program and one offseason under head coach Matt Rhule, running backs coach E.J. Barthel and the new Husker staff.

Allen finished with 190 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 33 carries as a true freshman in 2022. He was on his way to a potential breakout first year before suffering a broken collarbone in the Huskers' fourth game of the season against Oklahoma.

He appeared on track to make a substantial impact in Barthel's first Nebraska running backs room.

It's a major talent and depth loss for Nebraska, which came out of spring ball with one of the best and most exciting top-to-bottom running back rooms in the Big Ten with Allen, Gabe Ervin Jr. and Anthony Grant as the projected top three leading the way –while Rahmir Johnson and Emmett Johnson provided intriguing change-of-pace depth options.

Allen's departure from the program, though, takes away some of the bite to the Husker running back room – one that Rhule said multiple times throughout spring ball was one of the most impressive position groups on the roster.

"I really like all of our backs," Rhule said on April 1 following the team's first scrimmage of spring ball. "I think our backs are one of our strengths. I think they all bring something different to the table."

Allen is now gone from that group as the Huskers enter fall camp with Ervin and Grant leading the way as the main two-man crew at running back.

Allen is the second portal entry of the day on Sunday as he follows defensive back Jalil Martin. Both were members of the Huskers' 2022 recruiting class, which has now seen seven players enter the portal since December: Allen, Martin, LB Ernest Hausmann (Michigan), DB Jaeden Gould (Syracuse), WR Decoldest Crawford (Louisiana Tech), WR Victor Jones Jr. (Liberty) and QB Richard Torres (TBD).

Allen is the 12th Husker to enter the portal during the April 15-30 transfer window His departure cuts the Huskers down to 88 total scholarship players and five scholarship running backs (Ervin, Grant, Rahmir Johnson, Emmett Johnson and incoming freshman Kwinten Ives).

QB Casey Thompson

QB Logan Smothers

QB Richard Torres

RB Ajay Allen

WR Alante Brown

WR Shawn Hardy II

WR Victor Jones Jr.

TE James Carnie

DL Stephon Wynn Jr.

DB Braxton Clark

DB Jalil Martin

DB Noa Pola-Gates

Allen was a three-star signee out of Neville High School in Louisiana, where he was the state's No. 18-ranked player and No. 27-ranked running back nationally. He caught a ton of praise and attention early during his Husker career, especially in fall camp as he began to shine in the backfield.

After seeing a very minimal role in the season opener against Northwestern in Ireland (three carries for seven yards), the true freshman rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries against North Dakota. He then he had a bit of breakout game the following week against Georgia Southern, rushing eight times for a 76 yards and a touchdown.

Allen looked poised for an even more productive performance – and subsequently a more substantial role in the Huskers' offense – when he was the lone offensive bright spot in a blowout loss to Oklahoma. He had 11 carries for 49 yards (4.5 yards per carry) on 21 snaps before suffering his season-ending collarbone injury during a second-down run on the Huskers' third drive of the second half.

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