Juniors Jeff Allison and Mike Bell declare for NFL Draft
12/28/2018 7:00:00 PM | Football
FRESNO, Calif. – Juniors Jeff Allison and Mike Bell of the Fresno State football team informed head coach Jeff Tedford that they will both forgo their senior seasons and enter the NFL Draft. Allison and Bell both announced their decisions publicly via Twitter on Friday.
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"We appreciate Mike and Jeff's contributions to our program, they were integral parts to our success this season," said Tedford. "We wish them all the best and support them in their decision to enter the NFL Draft."
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Allison, a true junior linebacker and reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, finished his third-year as a Bulldog ranking No. 10 in program history in career tackles with 279 and racked up 258 of those over the past two seasons. Allison recorded 126 tackles as a sophomore, and upped that mark this season with 132 to lead the Bulldogs in tackles both seasons. Those marks rank tied for eighth and 10th, respectively, for single-season highs in tackles in program history.
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In Allison's 28 career starts at middle linebacker (consecutive since the 2017 season opener), he led the Bulldogs in tackles 17 times and posted double-digit tackles 13 times, including a career-high 17 tackles set on Oct. 6, 2018 at Nevada. In addition, he recorded 11.5 career tackles for loss and added his first two career interceptions in 2018. Allison played in 40 career games for Fresno State.
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Allison said on Twitter, "Fresno State has been my home away from home for the past three years. It was an honor to go out and battle in Bulldog Stadium with my brothers and to rep the Valley. My dream was to play NCAA football at the highest level and I was able to accomplish that here at Fresno State. Now the time has come for me to pursue another one of my childhood dreams. I will be forgoing my senior year and will be entering the 2019 NFL Draft. I want to say thank you to the Red Wave, the Valley, my teammates, coaches, mentors and my family for helping me reach this point. As a group, we were able to leave a lasting impression on the Red Wave, we made the Valley proud and became Champions. I am and will forever be #BulldogBornBulldogBred #GoDogs #9Reasonz."
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Bell, a fourth-year junior defensive back, was a second-team All-Mountain West selection in 2018 and will finish his career with 198 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, four interceptions, 16 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. He started at free safety for Fresno State for the past 23 consecutive games and played in 38 career games.
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Bell owned the most tackles among the Bulldogs' defensive back group in 2018, and ranked fourth overall on the team, with 86 stops this season. Of those 86 tackles, 53 were solo stops, second only behind Allison who had 72 solo tackles. Three of Bell's four career interception were in 2018, with the three coming in consecutive games from Oct. 6-20 (at Nevada, Wyoming, at New Mexico). He ranked second this season in INTs behind fellow defensive backs Juju Hughes and Anthoula Kelly, who recorded four apiece.
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Bell said on Twitter, "First off I want to thank God for blessing me with a tremendous opportunity to change my life. These past four years at Fresno State has been some of the best times in my life. I've seen this program at its lowest of lows and highest of highs and I'm proud to be a part of every moment of it. I have taken this time to reflect on my life and what my future will uphold. After careful consideration with my family, I have made my decision on forgoing my senior year and declaring for the NFL draft. It's been a long time coming and I just want to take the time to thank everybody who has been a part of this process. From the old staff of Coach DeRuyter who took a chance on me coming out of high school, now to Coach Tedford and his new staff that gave me the platform to show what I can do along with winning a Mountain West Championship for the city of Fresno that I've grown to love. Being my home away from home, I'll never forget the relationships I've made with everybody there and all the love the city has shown me since day one. And to the Red Wave, I will sincerely miss the fans who packed Bulldog Stadium each weekend, you guys are forever in my heart. Lastly, I would like to thank my teammates that I have been so blessed to be around. Without you guys I don't know if I would have made it. Every single one of you guys have made an impact on my life in one way or another. To my DB brothers we have created a brotherhood that would never be broken, you guys have been the highlight of my years at Fresno. I'll always be a bandit for life. Go Dogs!! #YoungWinnersMovement."
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The 2019 NFL Draft is April 25-27, and will take place in Nashville, Tenn.
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"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160
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Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateFB
Instagram: Fresno_State_Football
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
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"We appreciate Mike and Jeff's contributions to our program, they were integral parts to our success this season," said Tedford. "We wish them all the best and support them in their decision to enter the NFL Draft."
Â
Allison, a true junior linebacker and reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, finished his third-year as a Bulldog ranking No. 10 in program history in career tackles with 279 and racked up 258 of those over the past two seasons. Allison recorded 126 tackles as a sophomore, and upped that mark this season with 132 to lead the Bulldogs in tackles both seasons. Those marks rank tied for eighth and 10th, respectively, for single-season highs in tackles in program history.
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In Allison's 28 career starts at middle linebacker (consecutive since the 2017 season opener), he led the Bulldogs in tackles 17 times and posted double-digit tackles 13 times, including a career-high 17 tackles set on Oct. 6, 2018 at Nevada. In addition, he recorded 11.5 career tackles for loss and added his first two career interceptions in 2018. Allison played in 40 career games for Fresno State.
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Allison said on Twitter, "Fresno State has been my home away from home for the past three years. It was an honor to go out and battle in Bulldog Stadium with my brothers and to rep the Valley. My dream was to play NCAA football at the highest level and I was able to accomplish that here at Fresno State. Now the time has come for me to pursue another one of my childhood dreams. I will be forgoing my senior year and will be entering the 2019 NFL Draft. I want to say thank you to the Red Wave, the Valley, my teammates, coaches, mentors and my family for helping me reach this point. As a group, we were able to leave a lasting impression on the Red Wave, we made the Valley proud and became Champions. I am and will forever be #BulldogBornBulldogBred #GoDogs #9Reasonz."
Â
Bell, a fourth-year junior defensive back, was a second-team All-Mountain West selection in 2018 and will finish his career with 198 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, four interceptions, 16 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. He started at free safety for Fresno State for the past 23 consecutive games and played in 38 career games.
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Bell owned the most tackles among the Bulldogs' defensive back group in 2018, and ranked fourth overall on the team, with 86 stops this season. Of those 86 tackles, 53 were solo stops, second only behind Allison who had 72 solo tackles. Three of Bell's four career interception were in 2018, with the three coming in consecutive games from Oct. 6-20 (at Nevada, Wyoming, at New Mexico). He ranked second this season in INTs behind fellow defensive backs Juju Hughes and Anthoula Kelly, who recorded four apiece.
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Bell said on Twitter, "First off I want to thank God for blessing me with a tremendous opportunity to change my life. These past four years at Fresno State has been some of the best times in my life. I've seen this program at its lowest of lows and highest of highs and I'm proud to be a part of every moment of it. I have taken this time to reflect on my life and what my future will uphold. After careful consideration with my family, I have made my decision on forgoing my senior year and declaring for the NFL draft. It's been a long time coming and I just want to take the time to thank everybody who has been a part of this process. From the old staff of Coach DeRuyter who took a chance on me coming out of high school, now to Coach Tedford and his new staff that gave me the platform to show what I can do along with winning a Mountain West Championship for the city of Fresno that I've grown to love. Being my home away from home, I'll never forget the relationships I've made with everybody there and all the love the city has shown me since day one. And to the Red Wave, I will sincerely miss the fans who packed Bulldog Stadium each weekend, you guys are forever in my heart. Lastly, I would like to thank my teammates that I have been so blessed to be around. Without you guys I don't know if I would have made it. Every single one of you guys have made an impact on my life in one way or another. To my DB brothers we have created a brotherhood that would never be broken, you guys have been the highlight of my years at Fresno. I'll always be a bandit for life. Go Dogs!! #YoungWinnersMovement."
Â
The 2019 NFL Draft is April 25-27, and will take place in Nashville, Tenn.
Â
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160
Â
Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateFB
Instagram: Fresno_State_Football
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
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