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Allen recaps recent tour

Hilliard (Fla.) athlete Marcus Allen took a tour earlier in June and travelled to several schools around the Southeast.
"I saw seven schools," Allen said. "They were Georgia Tech, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Duke."
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The 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete who is projected as an outside linebacker or power running back talked about the highlights at each stop.
Georgia Tech: "When I went to Georgia Tech it was mostly a tour because it was a Sunday and most of the coaches weren't around. So it was basically Coach (Lamar) Owens showing me around and talking with me. It was very impressive. They also talked about how one out of every six Georgia Tech graduates is a millionaire. That was a pretty interesting visit. I don't think they are really sure what position they want me at yet."
Clemson: "Clemson was really good, it wasn't intended to be a visit but one of our coaches is real good friends with a guy up there, they have been friends forever, so we went up there. It was a really nice place. I enjoyed my visit there. It was more of a tour because the visit was during their camp. I did talk to Coach (Dabo) Swinney for a little bit. He was just telling me that he hoped I enjoyed my visit. He didn't have a lot of time to talk because it was in the middle of the camp. I also talked with the offensive coordinator (Chad Morris because they are recruiting me as a linebacker and as some sort of back for their offense. They haven't offered me yet."
Vanderbilt: "The coaches were great guys. Their head coach (James Franklin) is a very sharp guy. He seems like he would be a great guy to play with. I had a chance to meet their strength and conditioning coach (Dwight Galt) and he seemed very focused on making sure he gets 100-percent effort out of his players all the time. The campus was really great. They said that wherever I think I would fit, running back or linebacker, I could play that."
Louisville: "We got there kind of late so I only had a chance to see the stadium and meet the coaching staff. I met Coach (Charlie) Strong and the defensive coordinator (Vance Bedford). After they saw me, they offered me that same day. It was good stuff. They want me as a linebacker."
Kentucky: "It was really nice. I got to see all the facilities and met with Coach (Joker) Phillips. He is the one who actually gave me the tour around the school, he showed me himself. He took me by the academic buildings and then some of the players showed me the stadium. They also told me they want me to decide which position I play for them."
Tennessee: "I met all of the coaches, met a lot with the defensive coordinator (Justin Wilcox) and Coach (Peter) Sirmon, the linebackers coach. I also got to sit down and talk with Coach (Derek) Dooley in his office. He just told me about what he enjoys about coaching and what players get out of being a Tennessee Volunteer. I learned a lot of information at Tennessee. They want to use me as a SAM or a WILL linebacker depending on how big I got."
Duke: "Duke probably has the best technology and academic environment of any school I saw. The coaching staff is a big family. They tell me that there is more to preparing for the future than just football because football isn't going to last you forever. It was a good visit. They want me as a linebacker."
At this time, the three-star prospect has no other visit plans made.
"I don't have anything planned right now," Allen said. "There are some schools that are kind of far away but I doubt that will happen this summer, schools like TCU and others like that."
In addition to his recent tour, Allen has also visited the University of Florida. With having seen eight schools up-close, is he ready to narrow his list?
"I am not ready to say that yet," Allen said. "I want to evaluate everybody a little more."
When it comes time to decide, Allen knows what he wants in his future home.
"I am trying to find the best combination of great academics and football," Allen said. "I want high academic and high football standards. Just trying to find the best combination of those two."
Academically, Allen is an outstanding student as well with a 4.0 GPA, a 23 on the ACT, and 1030 on the SAT.
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