Jeff Allison: Shining Light

Every Bulldog has a reason for playing football. It may be for the love of the game, love of the Valley and Fresno State, playing to pay for school or in the case of Fresno State junior linebacker Jeff Allison, the reasons reach much deeper.

He plays to honor those he has lost. Those who are not able to see him fulfill his dreams. To shine their light.

To fully understand what motivates Jeff Allison, we have to go back to where it all started in Miami, Florida. It is there in the suburb of Carol City and Miami Gardens where Jeff got his start in football at the age of 5.

"It is not really a nice place and not a place people often see when they visit Miami," Allison remembers.

Initially resistant to the sport, Allison saw his two older brothers, Bernard and Edward, playing and wanted to follow in their footsteps.

With their roots in Florida, it was shortly before Allison was about to begin high school that his mother, Shynita and younger brother, Gregory moved to Atlanta, Georgia to be close to his aunt and cousins.

Making a smooth transition to his new home, Allison quickly found success on the football field as he was one of only three freshman to play on the varsity team at Langston Hughes High School.

While experiencing success on the field, off the field, Allison suffered the loss of his cousins, Jared and Jalen Mumford to a car accident.

"I grew up with those guys and they were my best friends, Allison said. "Losing them kept me motivated because they always wanted the best for me."

Unable to conjure any scholarship offers from any colleges through his junior season, Allison suffered more heartbreak losing his close friend and high school teammate which only added fuel to his fire.

Working hard to keep his fallen friends' legacies alive through his play, Allison excelled during his senior season as a Panther earning All-Metro City/South Fulton and All-Region in 2015 while gaining the notice of college programs.

Looking to venture out on his own and keep his dreams of playing college football alive, Allison visited Fresno State near signing day. Learning about the proud history of the Bulldog football program and being in California sold Allison on becoming a Bulldog.

"I felt it was a place I could get my name out there and stand out, and the California part was very enticing," Allison said.

Growing up in the football-centric culture of the South, making the move out West initially opened Allison's eyes, "There is great football at both places, but it is faster and the mentality of the kids down in the South is different. You have to do sports where I am from or you may fall into trouble while out here there are more resources for kids that are available to keep them out of trouble. I feel like it is the mentality and the speed that are the main differences."

Not accustomed to losing or being far away from his family, his first season as a Bulldog in 2016 was quite a learning experience, "That experience was crazy. I had never experienced a losing season like that before and to see the talent we had on that team to keep coming up short was tough."

While getting to play in all 12 games as a freshman, Allison continued to deal with setbacks off the field as his mother was diagnosed with leukemia and suffered from two lung diseases.

"That was tough to learn, but I knew I had to be strong for her and make her proud," Allison said.

It didn't take long for senior running back Dejonte O'Neal to notice Allison as the two met in summer conditioning before Allison's freshman season as Allison kept dominating the sessions. The pair quickly created a close friendship.

Despite playing on different sides of the ball, the two share a brotherly bond and are always there for one another.

"We have both been through struggles and adversity in our lives," O'Neal said. "It is not something you try and keep remembering, but you do things to take your mind away from that stuff. Even though you know tough things happen, you try and treat it like it didn't happen in a way, but in the back of your mind, you know the pain and heartache you feel."

"We know everyone we have lost is in a better place now and we need to stay focused down here, because if you shut down or retaliate, that does not do anyone any good. You work hard and make your family proud and that is what our parents preach to us."

Continuing to stay strong for his mother and siblings, Allison entered his sophomore season with a new mindset as new head coach Jeff Tedford came on board.

"Our mindsets changed entirely with Coach Tedford coming in as he was demanding things that we did not have to do before," Allison said. "It was not an option, you are going to do these things and he brought in that bond for the whole team. Everyone on the team started building relationships with one another so that everyone can trust everyone."

Starting to see his true potential, teammate and fellow linebacker James Bailey, who actually hosted Allison on his official visit, began to see a new player emerge.

"I remember seeing him on film in high school and thinking we really need him to come here and once the new staff came in and he got his shot to play, he really stood out and it is amazing to see him grow and become this great player on our team," Bailey said.

Becoming more aggressive and playing for those he had lost and his mother back home, Allison put together a standout sophomore campaign leading the team and ranking 15^th in the nation with 126 tackles while earning First-Team All-Mountain West honors.

Bert Watts, the Bulldogs' linebacker coach in 2017 and the defensive coordinator this season, has seen Allison's growth over the last two seasons, "Jeff is a guy who leads by example and you never have to worry about him. He is always doing the right thing. He shows up early to everything. He does great academically and takes his classes seriously and works incredibly hard. He studies hard whether it is academics or football. He is a great student of the game and a great student in the classroom. The rest of those guys see that and he holds them to that standard. It is part of who he is and he was raised by a great family."

Entering his junior season this fall, what started as just another normal day preparing for the season soon turned into finding out more tragedy had hit. His younger brother on his father's side, Javon, had passed away.

"That was tough," he recalled. "There were times we would be close to one another without each other knowing until we were on the phone. He always wanted the best for me so I want to keep shining the light for him."

Bailey has seen that with the adversity and loss, Allison has become more determined than ever, "He is a tough guy and recently with his younger brother passing away, I feel like he is so motivated to push through all the hard times he goes through and to be this amazing guy on and off the field," Bailey said. "He is a workhorse and believes in the system and he believes in us. We are all family and through tough times and good times."

Getting off to a fantastic start to the 2018 season, Allison had a career-high 15 tackles at Minnesota on Sept. 8 and grabbed his first two career interceptions at UCLA a week later, but knows that is just the start.

"I want to get better every game," Allison said. "Having a career-high 15 tackles against Minnesota, I want to break that, and two interceptions against UCLA, I want to beat that. I want to be a more vocal leader every game and continue to grow and get better."

Joining the coaching staff for spring practice, new linebackers' coach Kenwick Thompson has seen Allison's desire to get better magnify itself.

"I have seen him grow as a football player based off what we saw last year," the first-year assistant said. "He is a good football player and guys have to understand the mental aspect of how they go about preparing is what it takes to be a great football player. He has done that and made a commitment off the field with his nutrition and him understanding the importance of the other aspects of his game will only help him."

Continuing to improve himself on the field and in the classroom, Watts knows Allison's potential is limitless.

"The sky is the limit for him," Watts said. "Anyone who has that type of work ethic and is as smart as he is and has the talent, those are the guys who have long NFL careers so I hope that is how it works out for him."

While working to continue to fulfill his dreams of reaching the National Football League, Allison has started thinking about life after football as the recreation-community youth major wants to give back to his community by starting a youth camp where kids can play sports and also have an opportunity to be tutored and learn the importance of education.

"He will go down in the record book for both his academics and football," Bailey believes. "Everything he does has a purpose and he is driven to do it. He honors his cousins, brothers and mother every time he plays and he is leaving a legacy and I am really proud of him."

Playing to honor those he has lost. That's Jeff Allison. Keep shining their light.

Jeff Allison: Shining Light

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