After winning the NCAA title in the 110-meter hurdles on Friday, there can be little doubt that Devon Allen has recovered nicely from the knee injury that limited his effectiveness on the football field for Oregon last season.
But balancing track and football careers is more than just about staying healthy, and the Ducks wide receiver can now lean on Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III for advice as he navigates his career. Griffin, who was an All-American hurdler at Baylor, offered his counsel to Allen on Saturday after the two met at the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships in Eugene, Ore., per The Oregonian. According to the report, Allen said his future both in track and football could be affected by his competition at next month's U.S. Olympic Trials (July 1-10) and, potentially, in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Allen won the NCAA 110-meter hurdles title with a time of 13.50 seconds, and said he and Griffin exchanged phone numbers. The top three finishers in the 110-meter hurdles at the trials will make the Olympic team.
UCF coach Scott Frost, formerly Allen's offensive coordinator at UO, suggested Allen has a future in pro football a year and a half ago, when Allen caught 41 passes for 684 yards and seven touchdowns for the Ducks in his best season to date (2014). He injured his knee against Florida State in the Rose Bowl at the end of the '14 season, and missed the track season in 2015 as a result. He returned to the football team last season, but was limited to just nine receptions on the year.
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