The Best Stories from Josh Allen's College Days (Athletic article)

[Logic]

I liked this article. It's behind a paywall, but I'll post some of the quotes. There's a bunch, but here's a sampling.


https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6064535/2025/01/16/josh-allen-stories-college-football-wyoming-bills/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twhq&source=twitterhq


The best stories from Josh Allen’s college days: ‘People follow him. He’s very authentic’


If you know one story about Josh Allen’s college recruitment, it’s that he did not receive a single Division I scholarship offer. Overlooked at Firebaugh High in California’s Central Valley, Allen instead attended Reedley, a nearby community college, where he drafted a short email with a link to a highlight video and blasted it out to more than 1,000 college coaches.
 

Baked into that story is a larger idea: Allen believed in himself at a time when nobody else did. His confidence and force of personality led him to the University of Wyoming, where he developed from a raw gunslinger into a top-10 pick and future franchise quarterback.

 

Ten years later, he’s a co-favorite to win his first NFL MVP award.

 

Allen’s talent is undeniable, but it’s only part of the reason he’s successful. To understand how he became one of the NFL’s most authentic leaders, The Athletic called his childhood friends, college teammates and coaches.

 

For three seasons in Laramie, Wyo., Allen heaved 75-yard bombs in practice, lived off Applebee’s and charmed teammates with his leadership style, a goofy sincerity and plenty of drinking games.

 

“His personality goes a long way as far as being a leader, ” said Tanner Gentry, a teammate of Allen in Wyoming and with the Bills. “It radiates throughout the whole team.”

 

The stories of Allen’s college days are legendary, informative and completely college. And according to close friends and former teammates, they help explain the essence of Josh Allen, the player, teammate and leader.

 

Craig Bohl, former Wyoming head coach: People follow him. He’s very authentic.

 

Cooper Rothe, former Wyoming kicker: We always used to describe him as a big little kid.

 

Vander Waal: Our lockers were right next to each other. He pulled a Nerf gun out of his locker. I’m like: “What are you doing?” He’s like: “Dude, we’re about to have a Nerf gun fight in the locker room.”

 

Espinoza: He’ll take your watch off. He’ll shake your hand and be looking you dead in your eyes and just take your watch.

 

Rothe: My freshman year, I’m a kicker. We’re standing on the sidelines during a team scrimmage. Sure enough, the ball ends up on the sideline. I’m holding the ball, usually the equipment managers are quick to come grab it, but I see Josh calling my name: “Cooper, Cooper, throw me the ball, let’s go.”

 

I’m supposed to give it to the equipment manager, which is the right move, but Josh is the team captain. I don’t want to be the guy to say no to Josh. So I make eye contact with him, throw probably the best ball of my life, perfect spiral. As I release the ball, I see him look away on purpose. Best ball of my life. Going right at his head. He has his helmet on. It hits him. He flails his arm, throws his head back … “Cooper, what the hell, man?”

 

Cameron Coffman, former Wyoming quarterback: Leadership essentially comes down to influence, and whether you’re an NFL quarterback or a 10-year-old kid on the playground at school, there are certainly people that other people are attracted to, that they’ll follow. And from the beginning, he had that characteristic.

 

Gentry: Fourth of July trip. My grandparents own a cabin in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. We had a big crew there and it’s out in the middle of nowhere so we’re playing drinking games. It was an unreal trip. About a week and a half later, my grandma texted me that one of the trees was chopped down and the cover for the axe was still on it right by the tree. I sent it to the group and was like: “Who chopped this tree down?” And Josh was like: “That was me.” I was like: “Dude, you left the cover on.” And he goes: “Oh, that’s why it was so hard to chop it down.”

 

Price: He’s probably the best competitor I’ve ever been around in my entire life.

 

Hall: He always had that Kobe mentality: “I’m the best, and I’m gonna prove it today.”

 

Pilapil: We would play Monopoly Deal and he would blatantly cheat. He went and bought another pack of Monopoly Deal cards so that he could pack his hand with the high-powered cards.

 

Gentry: He doesn’t have an off switch. He’ll do anything it takes to win.

 

Price: He’s always had that confidence and belief in himself, even when everyone else around him doubted.

 

Gentry: When he was named the starter, he told me: “Dude, if I’m rolling out, don’t come back to the ball. I don’t want to throw a 10-yard or 15-yard completion. You run to the end zone and I’ll throw it up and we’ll have a chance.”

 

Bohl: It was a cold blustery spring day, so I was standing back and we called a traditional bootleg. The rules on the bootleg were: If the fullback is open in the flat, take it. Just take the profit. If he’s not open, check the tight end. If he’s open, take that. And the third option is to run. Well, on this particular play, the fullback was open. Josh didn’t take it.

 

The tight end was open. He didn’t take it. Instead he threw a ROPE on a backside post against a 60 mile per hour wind 60-some yards down the field. A touchdown. He was happy, much to my displeasure because he didn’t follow the rules. I said: “Josh, the rules are you throw it to the fullback if the fullback is open.” He looked at me and goes: “No, Coach, Favre says touchdowns first.”

 

Bohl: Needless to say, there’s a cowboy in him. I think that probably captures everything about him that’s really special.

 

Espinoza: He is just the most confident and sure-about-himself person in the world.

 

Gentry: The mindset piece of it, he definitely believes he’s the best in the world. But you’ll never hear him talking about how good he is.

 

 

[The Wiz]

Was reading this this morning.  Didn't like how they grouped up the stories with multiple people talking in the middle of the story but still some good ones in there.

[Logic]

Just now, The Wiz said:

Was reading this this morning.  Didn't like how they grouped up the stories with multiple people talking in the middle of the story but still some good ones in there.

My favorites were Josh chopping down a live tree with the blade cover still on (legendary stuff, that), and his secretly having his own deck of Monopoly Deal cards so that he could pack his hand with the most powerful cards. Like...who DOES that?

Josh, apparently.

[The Wiz]

10 minutes ago, Logic said:

My favorites were Josh chopping down a live tree with the blade cover still on (legendary stuff, that), and his secretly having his own deck of Monopoly Deal cards so that he could pack his hand with the most powerful cards. Like...who DOES that?

Josh, apparently.

I still dont understand the logistics of that blade cover.  Aren't they normally in a leather sheath that covers the whole blade?

 

If that's the case then that's even more impressive if he cut down a tree with that on it.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by The Wiz

[Buffalo Boy]

17 minutes ago, Logic said:

: “No, Coach, Favre says touchdowns first.”

 

CLASSIC!!!!!!

[msw2112]

I read the article.  It shows that Josh is a highly competitive and confident guy, but also caring and down-to-earth.  The fact the he knows the names of the scout team players, the staff, the janitors, etc. doesn't surprise me at all and when the top dog is humble and inclusive (while still being great at what he or she does), it bodes very well for an organization.  Allen is the perfect fit for McDermott, the Bills organization and the Buffalo community.

[H2o]

3 hours ago, Logic said:

Gentry: Fourth of July trip. My grandparents own a cabin in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. We had a big crew there and it’s out in the middle of nowhere so we’re playing drinking games. It was an unreal trip. About a week and a half later, my grandma texted me that one of the trees was chopped down and the cover for the axe was still on it right by the tree. I sent it to the group and was like: “Who chopped this tree down?” And Josh was like: “That was me.” I was like: “Dude, you left the cover on.” And he goes: “Oh, that’s why it was so hard to chop it down.”

This guy........ 

[YoloinOhio]

I love this so much. He was made in a lab to be the franchise QB in Buffalo.