New Jersey Class of '22 Offensive Lineman Jacob Allen Talks Spartan Offer

Princeton, New Jersey, class of '22 offensive lineman Jacob Allen talks about his latest scholarship offer from Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartan football program.

East Lansing, MI--Michigan State has recruited the state of New Jersey heavily in recent days, and the Spartans extended an offer to one of the top 2022 offensive linemen in the nation in Princeton (NJ) Hun School tackle Jacob Allen.

Spartan Nation spoke with Allen about his offer from the Spartans and his recruitment, and the 6-foot-6, 275-pound standout said that while the recruiting process has been a rewarding one, he’s being patient and is staying focused on getting ready for the fall.

Happy to announce that I have earned an offer from Michigan State University! #GoGreen @CoachCKap @Red_Zone75 @OL_CoachBolis @CoachAkauola pic.twitter.com/5yPhJIWeNM

— Jacob Allen (@JacobAllen_79) March 30, 2020

“Getting offers is an amazing thing, and I’m so thankful for it,” he said. “Me and my team and our coaches and strength coaches, we’ve all worked so hard, and I felt like that was always the expectation from everyone around us. The whole team wants greatness; it’s a common goal. It’s nice, but I try not to think about it, to be honest. I’m still a sophomore in high school, so I’m more focused on my junior year and improving for that.”

In addition to his offer from Michigan State, Allen holds offers from Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia, West Virginia, and Central Michigan. Allen received his offer from the Spartans one day after his teammate, 2021 offensive lineman Kevin Wigenton. He said that Wigenton was the first to reach out to him to tell him he had a Michigan State offer and put him in touch with offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic.

“Kevin texted me - he called me,” he said. “Usually Coach Smith does it because the coaches can’t talk to me yet because I’m a sophomore, so Kevin told me he had just gotten off the phone with the coach and asked him to give me his number and then I called him and talked to him for a little bit and that’s when he offered me.”

After having the chance to speak with Kapilovic, Allen said that he came away with a good feeling about the Spartan offensive line coach.

“I was able to tell right away that he’s a great guy all around,” he said. “We just had a casual conversation and talked about how times are rough right now and just getting through it. Not just like business talk as much as a casual conversation, it just shows that he’s interested and cares about what I’m about, which is great to see.”

As for his outlook on Michigan State, Allen said that the Spartans are a team that he has looked at as a successful program throughout his time growing up.

“Michigan State, just growing up, it’s always just been a known powerhouse,” he said. “When you hear it, you just know, it’s a powerhouse.”

Allen told Spartan Nation that he is “definitely” interested in taking a visit to Michigan State in the future.

Allen is a physical offensive lineman with the size that Mel Tucker and the Spartan coaching staff has prioritized in their offensive line targets on the recruiting trail. Allen is a mauler on the offensive line and has proven to be exceptional in both run blocking and pass protection.

Allen described his play as high-effort and playing with his physical style through the whistle on every play.

“It’s just going to the whistle,” he said. “Going all out to the whistle, that’s how I try to play.”

Remember to stay tuned to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on Allen and the Spartans!

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