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The face of the emerging Bulls

Defensive end Jason Allen, a sixth-year senior, has been with USF for its journey from Division I-AA to the Big East.

TAMPA - This summer, whenever Jim Leavitt would talk about his team at media gatherings, he called defensive end Jason Allen "a great trivia question," the very personification of USF's rapid ascent in its short football existence.

The sixth-year senior first came to the Bulls in their Division I-AA days, watching the program move to I-A as an independent, then in and out of Conference USA and now an exciting first season in the Big East.

"I think he's the only player in the history of college football to do that," Leavitt said.

You won't find a Bulls player who has encountered more of the program's history, but you'd also be hard-pressed to find one who appreciates the privilege of wearing the green and gold more.

"It reminds me every time I play of the opportunity USF gave me," the 24-year-old said. "I never want to look past that. They trusted me. They were the only team when I had the injury that persisted, that said, "We still want you.' Going through all of that, all I wanted was an opportunity."

Allen's first injury came in his final high school game, as Fort Myers took on Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the state playoffs. He severely injured his left knee, tearing the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, and as he worked to rehabilitate himself, fewer college scouts were coming around.

"At the time, I was being recruited very highly, but then a lot of teams canceled visits, backed away, or called and told me, "We can't have you here,' " he said.

Allen redshirted the 2000 season, watching from the sideline as the Bulls went 7-4 in their final I-AA campaign. He played sparingly over the next three seasons as a reserve linebacker, getting eight tackles as a freshman but just one over the next two years.

In the summer of 2004, as he prepared to challenge for a larger role on the Bulls defense, he was working on the bench press when he tore his right pectoral muscle, another injury requiring another surgery that forced him to take a medical redshirt.

He was one of three seniors taking redshirts, with defensive tackle Tim Jones and safety Johnnie Jones, an odd coincidence that would end up helping the Bulls' defense immensely in this first Big East season. Allen has returned again, stepping up this season to be much more than a footnote in USF's history, but an active participant, shining in his final year.

"I'm really proud of Jason," said Leavitt, whose defense ranks among the nation's 20 best in points and yards allowed. "He really has been a good player for us this year. He's been tremendous."

Allen has sparked the Bulls as a reserve pass rusher, tying for second on the team with five sacks, and tripling his career total with 18 tackles this season. In USF's 45-31 win at Rutgers two weeks ago, Allen's sack forced a fumble that was returned by Terrence Royal for a touchdown, giving the Bulls a 21-0 lead.

"Jason's always been a team guy with a great attitude," defensive line coach Earl Lane said. "We've asked him to do a number of things for us and he's done them all well. I'm really happy to see him having such a good year."

Allen has worked at outside linebacker and defensive end, and while his biggest plays have come on the defensive line, part of his success comes from playing two positions. That requires him to learn each week's defensive game plan from two perspectives, requiring more preparation and extra film studies, all of which put him in better position to thrive.

It's the second year in a row the Bulls have had a sixth-year senior playing a prominent role on defense, following tackle Lee Roy Selmon Jr., but Lane said he never doubted that Allen would rebound from injury, just as he had to start his USF career.

"He definitely has persevered, but he's had that attitude from the very beginning," Lane said. "When it happened, he told you straight out that he was going to be back. He did everything he had to, from workouts to rehabilitation, to make sure he got back. I can't say enough about his attitude, and a fantastic work ethic."

Allen, who has a degree in business management and is working toward a second degree in business marketing, said he hopes to serve as a reminder to younger players of how far the Bulls have come. While this year's freshmen won't see the unprecedented change he has experienced, he's confident they too can leave USF football in a much different place than they found it.

"As a program, you don't know where the limits are at," he said. "It's tremendous what's going on here. There is no peak right now. It's still on the rise."