Minnesota DT impressive at Army Combine

Minnetonka, Minn., class of 2010 defensive tackle Beau Allen wanted to prove himself against the top players in the country, so he headed down to San Antonio, Texas, last week for the U.S. Army Junior Combine. His performance at the combine showed why three Big Ten programs have already offered the Minnesota junior scholarships.

"I felt pretty good about it," Allen said about his Army Combine performance. "Being a nose guard, I love all the physical aspects of football and I was actually really excited that the one-on-ones were as physical as they were. At some combines they have you go easy and that's not what I am into. I was bull rushing kids and I even hit one or two kids with my head on accident.

"The crowd was getting really into it too, and so were the d- and o-linemen. The coaches just couldn't hold us back and that was really fun. We were chomping at the bit."

The 6-3, 296-pound Allen was one of the most impressive true defensive tackle prospects in attendance at the Army Combine and won a large majority of his one-on-one battles against a strong group of offensive linemen. His performance showed why three schools have already offered him a scholarship and more are showing considerable interest.

"I've got Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin (offers) so far and I'm in pretty good contact with a lot of other schools," Allen reported. "I've been hearing from Notre Dame quite a bit and a lot of schools in the Big Ten. I've pretty much been invited to all the junior days and all the games this past season.

"Also, I've been getting some interest from Alabama, UCLA, Stanford and Oregon. What I've been happy about is I've been getting some mail from schools like Duke, UNC and Stanford which I know are really prestigious academic schools. I'm just happy I'm qualified enough academically to be considered a prospect of those schools.

Currently, Allen holds a 3.34 GPA in the classroom and he is challenging himself by taking several advanced placement classes this year. Unfortunately, Minnetonka's semester finals fall around the same time as many college junior days, so Allen is already making plans concerning what schools he'll see later this winter.

"I'm definitely going to take one to Minnesota because that's pretty quick and convenient," Allen said. "Then I'm thinking about Notre Dame, Iowa, Wisconsin and maybe an Ohio State or Michigan. I am probably just going to stay in the Midwest."

A decision from Allen is still some time off and he expects to do plenty of research before settling on one school. He does not have any favorites heading into the process.

"I noticed when I was in San Antonio a lot of the coaches and players were talking about dream schools and that's one of the things I was lacking growing up. I didn't really follow a team when I was a kid," Allen said. "That's why, right now, I am pretty excited I've got a whole medley of schools and a lot of options to choose from."

Allen bench presses 335 pounds pounds in the weight room and runs a 5.13 40-yard dash. This past season as a junior he tallied 47 tackles, three sacks, recovered two fumbles and forced one.