Beau Allen’s college football career is a great representation of the dark side to the transfer portal era. Not every player who seeks a new opportunity ends up in a better position than before.
Sometimes they end up right back where they started.
That would be Allen. Literally!
He recently transferred for the third time in three years and landed back at the exact same program that he left two seasons ago. It was a full-circle sequence of events.
Allen, a former four-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2020, was once a child prodigy in the Lexington area. The pro-style quarterback ultimate chose to stay home to play for his father’s alma mater and committed to Kentucky out of high school.
Allen spent two years with the Wildcats and completed 11-of-19 passes for 132 yards with a rushing touchdown in five games. Once Will Levis emerged as the starter in 2022, he hopped in the portal and landed on the FCS level.
The decision could not have worked out any better! Allen was named the WAC Newcomer of the Year after leading the conference with 2,838 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns at Tarleton State.
Allen parlayed his strong season into a return to the FBS level with Georgia Southern. However, the NCAA did not give him the green light and did not grant him eligibility this fall.
As a result, Allen sat out the entire 2023/24 season. It was his fourth year of college football.
Now, as a graduate transfer, Allen is immediately eligible at his next program— which is a familiar one! He announced this week that he will return back to Kentucky with two years of eligibility left.
Here’s a more simple look at his career thus far:
- 2020/21 season — Redshirt year at Kentucky
- 2021/22 season — Redshirt freshman at Kentucky
- August 2022 — Enters transfer portal, lands at Tarleton State
- 2022 season — Redshirt sophomore year at Tarleton State
- December 2022 — Enters transfer portal, again
- January 2023 — Lands at Georgia Southern
- 2023 season — Ruled ineligible as redshirt junior
- December 2023 — Enters transfer portal, again, lands back at Kentucky
Sometimes the grass is not always greener!
Allen’s decision to transfer back to a school that he already left is unusual, but it makes sense. He gets back to the SEC, in his hometown, with a team that needs depth at quarterback.
There is even a chance that Allen could beat out Brock Vandagriff and Cutter Boley for the starting job as they try and get up to speed on Liam Coen’s system. Probably not, but maybe!
The transfer portal era is weird. Allen’s journey is among the weirdest.