The track-or-football decision isn't getting any easier for Devon Allen, but the Oregon wide receiver wouldn't have it any other way.
After winning the finals of the 110-meter hurdles event at the U.S. Olympic Trials over the weekend, Allen is headed to the Rio Games with a shot at Olympic glory and a football career that he has no choice but to put on temporary hold. Having to do so, however, can only mean good things for his track career.
"Oh, I don't know" Allen said, asked which sport was at his heart, according to the New York Times. "I'm just an athlete who likes to play football and run track."
Allen's time of 13.03 seconds blew away the field (second-place finisher Ronnie Ash finished in 13.21), and vastly improved from the 13.50 time Allen recorded to win the NCAA championship. His track star is only burning brighter as football season approaches.
Allen doesn't deny being a bit torn between sports, he told the Eugene Register-Guard last month, prior to the Olympic Trials. But he also said it wouldn't take long for him to make a successful transition.
"I just have to be there about 10 days before the first game and try to get in some kind of football shape," Allen said.
Allen caught 41 passes for 684 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns in 2014, but suffered a torn ACL in the Rose Bowl and wasn't nearly as effective last season at UO, making just nine catches. As a fourth-year junior, he could be eligible for either the 2017 or 2018 NFL drafts. His father, Louis Allen, has the answer Ducks fans -- and NFL scouts -- prefer to hear.
"It seems to me Devon loves the sport that's in season," Louis Allen told The Times. "I would assume that after the Olympics are over, he'll probably focus on football again, and he'll be out here on Saturday playing with him teammates."
Track and field competition in the Rio Olympics doesn't end until Aug. 21, by which time the Ducks will be deep into preseason preparations for the season.
Allen's preparation, for now, has more to do with hurdles than helmets.
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