CJ Allen Offers Rare Stability for a Rookie Linebacker

The Indianapolis Colts are turning to 21 year old rookie CJ Allen to lead the defense in 2026.

Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen (3) on the field against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Indianapolis Colts made some major changes at the linebacker position this offseason, opting to trade eight-year veteran, and team captain, Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Colby Wooden. Franklin had previously spent the entirety of his career with the Colts, growing from late-round roster hopeful to All-Pro linebacker in his time with the team.

As the years went on, and the Colts made their change to a third different defensive coordinator, a divorce between Franklin and the team felt imminent. Franklin had a year to forget in 2025, missing a career-high 13.9% of his tackle attempts and allowing a 109.3 passer rating as the primary man in coverage (according to Pro Football Focus).

While Franklin's struggles have been well documented, it's tough to make a chance at Mike (middle) linebacker for a team. In Chris Ballard's time with the organization, he's only had three different players with that "green dot" (defensive play-caller) distinction. Anthony Walker passed the torch to Shaquille Leonard, who then passed it on to Franklin in 2022. Walker was the only one of the group to wear the honor as a rookie, but that was more of a statement about the rest of the Colts' roster.

Now, it appears that the Colts are ready to give the reigns to a rookie that just turned 21 years old in March. Ballard had this to say about rookie CJ Allen following his selection at 53rd overall on draft night:

CJ. I mean we’ve liked CJ through the whole process. He stands for all the right stuff. He’s an athletic, fast MIKE. He’ll be a green dot guy for us from the get-go. I mean he’s a face of the program type of guy. He’s a really special dude now. Loves to play. Cares about football.

Chris Ballard

That's high praise for a player that has yet to step foot on the practice field, but Allen has earned it throughout his college career. As an 18 year old true freshman at Georgia University, a program coming off of back-to-back National Championships, Allen was receiving legit playing time on defense. He saw 147 snaps in his first 10 games as a reserve player before taking over as a starter in 11 in that debut season. He would hold on to the Mike linebacker job for the remainder of his college career.

The theme of Allen's career has always been how ahead of the curve he was for a player of his age. This past season, at 20 years old, he was a member of the SEC Football Leadership Council off of the field, and was a First Team All-American performer on the field. He embodied everything that the Colts were looking for from their next defensive leader, and now they are opting to put their faith in the young player.

Talked to Georgia linebacker CJ Allen a bit just now.

Apparently Glenn Schumann just let him run the show on the field most of the time unless he had a specific situational call on the sheet he wanted to get into.

For everything else, Allen did the calls, the checks, all of it.

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) February 25, 2026

There's bound to be a learning curve for Allen in this Colts' defense, but he's always overcome those curves in the past. He's a throwback player tasked with course correcting a defense that took too many chances in 2025. It's a tall task for a player of his age, but he has always been up for the challenge. In my opinion, the Colts are making a smart bet by placing their faith in a player like CJ Allen.

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