DJ Allen won’t play this season.
The three-star defensive end from Germantown committed to Memphis football as a transfer after spending spring practices with Purdue. But a car crash on June 7 changed the trajectory of his life.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Allen was heading back to Memphis’ campus with two of his brothers and was in the passenger seat when the car swerved and crashed into a house. Allen got the worst of it, with doctors telling him he suffered major hip and shoulder injuries.
They said he wouldn’t be able to walk for three months as he recovered from hip surgery. Two weeks later, he was moving around the house.
“It’s a lot going on,” Allen told The Commercial Appeal. “But I keep telling people, like, when I get back on the field, I’m a robot. This ain’t the same DJ y’all been seeing. I’m going to come 10 times harder. I’ve been off the field too long, and that’s just going to build my aggressiveness on.”
DJ Allen’s path back to Memphis
Allen won’t play for the Tigers or for anyone this season. He isn’t listed on the Memphis roster but hopes to recover before spring practice, and hopes to play for the Tigers in 2025.
His commitment in the spring had — for the moment — ended a whirlwind recruitment process. A dominant force for the Red Devils, Allen initially committed to UCF before flipping to Purdue ahead of the December signing period in December. He was with the Boilermakers during spring practices, bu tthere was friction with the coaching staff and he wanted to be closer to home.
Purdue players and coaches even told him during spring practice that they could tell he was struggling, and he entered the transfer portal shortly thereafter. The schools recruiting him in the spring were different than the ones he’d initially been considering, though, and he ultimately chose between Tennessee State and Memphis.
He was so close to committing to Tennessee State that had a graphic made up to announce his decision. But there was a late push from Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield and Allen decided to stay home.
Allen is close friends with Kavion Benton and Jordan Bell, the pair of local products in Memphis’ 2024 signing class.
The opportunity to play for the Tigers means he can be a role model for his younger siblings. Allen is one of 10 children in his family.
“If they see both of us going to the U of M, why would they not try to do the same or go even bigger?” he said. “It really means a lot to me and my family.”
DJ Allen’s path back to the football field
Allen was a standout during his senior season at Germantown, totaling 37 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and a team-leading 11 sacks. Allen helped the Red Devils reach the Class 6A quarterfinals and was also named the Region 8-6A defensive player of the year.
He’d hoped to compete for a spot with the Tigers as a walk-on this season, but those plans are on hold. Silverfield called him when he was in the hospital, telling him he’d help however he could.
Allen hopes to rehab his injuries and eventually enroll in classes at Memphis before ramping up toward a return to the football field.
“I know the weight I got on me and how many people are looking up to me,” Allen said. “I’ve got little brothers who are trying to do the stuff I’m doing in life, and now they see me sitting around right now because I’m trying to recover. I’m going to the doctor every other day. And every time I go to the doctor, I just feel like, ‘I shouldn’t be here. I should be on the football field right now.'”
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Germantown’s DJ Allen won’t play for Memphis football in 2024
The Commercial Appeal
