Allen talks Indiana commitment

When Indianapolis (Ind.) Ben Davis' Antonio Allen decommitted from Ole Miss last week, he said it was because he wanted to play closer to home. This week, the Rivals250 prospect committed to a program that will allow him to do just that.

"My decision I made, it had nothing to do with Ole Miss. It had everything to do with my family," Allen said. "People from Indianapolis, they already know me. I feel at Indiana I will have more people cheering me on and most of my family can come to the games."

Allen made his commitment to Indiana and head coach Kevin Wilson this week, but the decision was about more than just proximity to home.

"Coach Wilson told me the truth and came from the heart," Allen said. "He said they needed help and I could possibly go there and start right away. But I'm not going to take that to the head. I'm still going to work hard for my position."

Allen has made several visits to Indiana during his recruitment. On many of those visits he was around other four-star prospects from the state of Indiana who are not currently committed to the Hoosiers. Now that he is on board with Indiana, Allen plans to help encourage other top prospects from his state to join him in Bloomington.

"I am going to try to talk to them and get them to come so we can make our state better," Allen said. "If we make IU better, we can make our whole state better."

The 5-foot-11, 194-pound Allen is ranked as the No. 200 prospect nationally, the No. 17 safety and the No. 4 player in the state of Indiana. He is known for being a big-hitter from the safety spot, and has the fitting nickname of "Woo."

"I got it from my grandmother when I was really young. I guess that used to make me stop crying," Allen said. "But everybody at school calls me that because when I hit they all say 'Woo.'"

Hoosier fans are no doubt saying "Woo," following Allen's commitment. He is the seventh addition in their 2013 class and first four-star commit.