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The Pacific Northwest is featuring two of the premier small college players in the nation, and they are tight ends. With teams placing more emphasis in the passing game at the position, Allan and Western Oregon's Kevin Boss have drawn considerable attention from professional scouts for their all-around game.
Despite a lack of top-level competition, Allan not only dominated his opponents on a weekly basis, but also fared quite well in postseason all-star games, making a lot of NFL offensive coordinators take notice. Even though he played four seasons at Whitworth, he saw limited action as a freshman, not catching any passes. But he made up for lost time the last three years and closed out his career as the school's record holder for yards gained per catch (18.7 avg) and career touchdown receptions (29).
Allan attended Interlake High School, where he was a receiver in a wing-T offense that rarely threw the ball. The team finished his senior season with a 0-9 record, causing Allan to not be recruited by any of the major colleges for football. He was more recognized for his basketball skills and could have attended a major university on a hoops scholarship, but had his heart set on playing football.
He enrolled at Whitworth in 2002, spending the season on the scout team as a wide receiver at 213 pounds. Allan grew out of that position and shifted to tight end in 2003, but saw just limited action in seven games. He appeared strictly on special teams and did not catch any passes.
In 2004, Allan earned All-Northwest Conference honors after taking over starting tight end duties, as he would go on to start his next 29 contests. He finished third on the team with 29 receptions for 409 yards (14.1 avg) and five touchdowns. He earned AFCA All-American honors in 2005, as Allan led the conference with a 19.2-yard average on 36 catches for 693 yards in eight games. He also set the school single-season record with 15 touchdown receptions.
Allan was again named All-American by the AFCA in 2006, along with receiving his third consecutive All-NWC honor. He hauled in a career-high 53 passes and became the second player in school history to gain more than 1,000 yards receiving (1,100) in a season. He also had nine scoring grabs.
Allan started 29 of 36 games at Whitworth. He caught 118 passes for 2,202 yards (18.7 avg) with a school career record 29 touchdowns. He scored 174 points and also recorded three tackles (two solos) on special teams.
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