From Basement Classes To NFL: Montclairs Josh Allen Drafted – Montclair, NJ Patch

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A football standout and former special education student who grew up in Montclair will continue his feel-good story as a Jacksonville Jaguar.

On Thursday night, the Jaguars snapped up Josh Allen with the 7th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, marking a milestone for the University of Kentucky star. The 2018 Southeastern Conference “Defensive Player of the Year” was a consensus Top 5 selection in many mock drafts leading to Thursday’s main event.

Allen, whose mother once worked at MetLife Stadium, played only a single year of high school football in New Jersey, attending a small high school in Alabama before he was a senior, NJ.com reported.

Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin called Allen a “superior” football player, Jaguars.com reported.

“As it was coming down, there were a number of picks in front of us where we thought he would go,” Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin said shortly after selecting Allen. “When he fell to us, he was a superior football player – and too good a player to possibly pass up.”

Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell said there was a “feeling” in the last week that Allen might be available with the 7th pick.

“About a week ago, I started doing some due diligence and talking to people around the league, and this was the guy who kept coming up like, ‘Hey, he might be there because of what some teams need and what some teams are going to go with,'” Caldwell said.

Read more about the Jaguars’ plans for Allen here.

FROM ‘THE BASEMENT CLASSES’ TO THE NFL

While growing up in Montclair, Allen, who recently became a new father, was placed in special education classes that made him feel like he wasn’t given a fair shake.

For a time, Allen attended Rand Elementary, where he spent the majority of the day with a small handful of other kids in the school’s special education program, according to a report on NFL.com.

Allen – who struggled with a stuttering issue – received an Individualized Education Program for speech therapy, but eventually overcame it and assimilated into a regular classroom setting, NFL.com stated.

“My mom and my aunt were trying to get me out of those classes,” Allen said. “They were like, ‘He’s good, he doesn’t need those classes, let him challenge himself.'”

“You shouldn’t label children as being ‘special needs’ just because they’re having difficulties,” Josh’s mother Kim Allen said.

Allen’s friend Jason Simon said that during their time in the “basement classes” of the school, he and Josh would get made fun of because they were special education students. But despite the teasing, Allen’s ebullient and resilient character couldn’t be dimmed, Simon said.

“I never met a person that Josh didn’t get along [with],” Simon recalled. “Even the people who would make fun of him… would love being around him.”

Allen eventually used the experience as motivation to prove that he could achieve beyond expectations inside and outside of the classroom, Hyundai stated as part of its “Rolling with the Rookies” series.

“Taking matters into his own hands, Allen made the decision to move in with his aunt and uncle in Alabama before his freshman year of high school – he wanted to prove that he could achieve and compete in the classroom. His time in Alabama was an amazing experience, but he was bullied by upper classmen. He was initially reticent about playing football, but stuck with it while becoming a top receiver in the state. Before his senior year he decided to return to New Jersey and switch to defensive end which made it difficult for college recruiters to keep up with Allen, so as the 2,121 ranked player in the country coming out of high school the only D1 offer he received was from Monmouth until, of course, Kentucky had a commitment drop out last minute, opening the door for Allen to step in and excel at the next level, where he had a tremendous career, helping put Kentucky football back on the map.”

“I don’t want to be normal,” the former Montclair resident said, recalling his time as an underestimated student. “Normal is boring. Different is fine. You can look at what I did and let that motivate you to be different.”

While Allen admits that his time growing up in Montclair was “a little challenging,” he also remembers his hometown with a fondness that can’t be denied… much like his defensive skills on the gridiron.

“We’re in Montclair, the best city in New Jersey,” he beamed during a recent trip back to Essex County. (Watch the video below)

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page here. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com