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Previous Roles
Marcus Allen arrived at Georgia Tech as a fairly coveted recruit with offers from multiple SEC schools. Allen was a standout running back and linebacker out of Hilliard, Florida who was expected to be a B-back in the Yellow Jacket offense. After redshirting his first year on campus, Allen would actually make the move to linebacker as a redshirt freshman. That's where Allen spent his time the last two seasons. He only appeared in a total of five games in that time, and he has a career total of two tackles to show for it. Allen also was tried out at wide receiver for Tech at one point. The previous roles for Allen obviously have nothing to do with the position where we're expecting a breakout year from him.
New Roles
Three years after he arrived in Atlanta, Marcus Allen will finally get the opportunity to perform at the position where he was expected to make his career for the Jackets. A thinning depth chart at B-back gave Allen the opportunity to switch back to his original spot with a fantastic chance to win the starting job in 2015. Allen has a lot of size at 6'2", 225 lbs. and is considered to be a very agile runner. His size makes his best comparison from Tech a player with the same last name - Anthony Allen. He has the opportunity to make big plays, but the real key is how well he can keep his shoulders low to get the dependable three or more yards that Georgia Tech needs on the dive play. Allen has more than enough athleticism and talent to fill the gap at B-back, and Paul Johnson has seemed to like what he's seen from him so far.
I think Marcus sees it as his last hurrah, his last chance," Johnson said, speaking at the ACC Kickoff. "He embraced it and went after it full force. Now, can he hold these other guys off, Marcus Marshall and Mikell Lands-Davis and Patrick Skov and all those guys? We'll see. I feel comfortable if we had to play with Marcus.
The reasoning behind believing Allen could be a breakout player doesn't need to be too detailed. The point is simple - if Allen wins the starting job at B-back, he'll automatically become one of the most important players on the team. B-backs produce at Georgia Tech every year. If Allen can stay healthy and does enough to gain Johnson's trust to carry the ball 15 or more times a game, he could be another 1,000 yard rusher for the Yellow Jackets.