The name Drexlan Allen should be a familiar one by now. The Hattiesburg senior has been a fixture on the gridiron for two seasons, and he’s entering his last season for a Tigers team with high aspirations.
Playing for the state championship last season has given Allen and his teammates the taste of success, and they’ve used that all offseason for motivation.
“We did amazing. Just perfect,” Allen said of his team’s offseason. “Everybody committed to play as one. We just feel like this is going to be the year. This is the team, we have everything we need, so this might, there isn’t going to be a might, this is going to be the year for us.
“It won’t give us butterflies. We’ve been there so we’ve done everything. This year, there are no complaints. Everything should be great.”
Saying that, Allen recognizes it’s one game at a time. Hattiesburg will have to play 14 other games before it can play for another 5A State Championship. Everywhere they go, the Tigers hear the expectations, but they’re taking it all in stride.
“We’re going to take it one by one,” Allen said. “It’s a normal thing to us now because we know what to expect.”
Allen has gained 1,439 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in his three-year prep career, with 92 percent of his production coming the last two seasons. Listed at 5-foot-10, 183 pounds, Allen admits he’s not the biggest back. He has some power, but he relies on his quickness to create separation from defenders.
He totaled 111 yards and two scores as a freshman before busting on the scene with 715 yards and eight touchdowns his junior season. In 2017, he rushed for 613 yards and found the end zone 17 times on 113 carries, helping his team to the 5A State Championship game.
“I’ve been waiting (for senior year) for a long time. Now that I’ve become a senior, I really wish I could go back to being a freshman,” Allen said with a laugh.
While Allen was the second leading rusher as a sophomore, behind Fabian Franklin, but he was third on the team a season ago, behind Franklin and quarterback Jarod “Snoop” Conner. However, his ability to tote the ball helped provide a three-headed monster in the Tigers’ backfield. Also, it allowed Franklin to not put a ton of tread on his tires before he began his college career.
Allen didn’t go unnoticed to fans who attended games. He had just as many carries as Franklin a season ago, but he was still overshadowed by the future Division I running back. If teams overlooked Allen when he came in while Franklin was on the sidelines, Allen made them pay.
Allen has received at least eight junior college offers, and he committed to Jones County Junior College last month, but he’ll even admit that he’s “somewhat” underrated.
“Teams know who I am, so I wouldn’t say I’m underrated, but nationally and state-wide, I’ll say I’m underrated,” he said.
Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance even said Allen is probably the most underrated player on his football team.
“You’re talking about a guy who has done things the right way, he’s been patient and he has a great attitude about it,” Vance said. “Last year, he had 17 touchdowns, quietly. He’s just solid and he’s a kid who works. In my opinion, he’s a no doubt Division I football player.”
If he continues to play as well as he has during his sophomore and junior seasons, he’ll turn more heads this fall. His consistency every season is his biggest asset, too. If there’s one thing Hattiesburg fans have grown accustomed to, it’s Allen’s ability to produce with the ball in his hands.
“Being committed, wanting better for myself and I just keep trying to get better and better every day,” Allen said. “I stay the same, but I keep trying to up my game every year.”
State Championship teams have more than just one or two options to run the ball, and Allen has provided the depth throughout his high school career. Now, it’s Allen and Conner who carry the load, but junior Jamal Donaldson could be that third option. He gained 155 yards and scored twice on just 10 carries – a 15.5-yard per rush average – as a sophomore.
“You have to worry about two cats who might get the ball, so that shifts the defense a little bit,” Allen said about Conner and himself. “I can carry out a couple of fakes and that will shift the defense for him.
“Jamal could be another Fabian. He can bring that power, I can bring the speed and (sophomore) Courtland (Harris) can be that small, tiny cat like a Darren Sproles.”
Hattiesburg opens the season at home in the Leaf River rivalry game Saturday, Aug. 18, against Petal.
