Dakota Allen has become one of the most successful figures to come out of Last Chance U, and his career in football is far from over. The linebacker appeared in season 2 of the Netflix sports docuseries, which followed the East Mississippi Community College football team. After focusing on the EMCC Lions for two seasons, Last Chance U switched to Independence Community College before moving on to Laney College. The goal of the series was to follow junior college (JUCO) athletes fighting to obtain a Division I scholarship with sights set on making it to the NFL.

While growing up in Texas, Allen was a star player on his high school team. Due to his performance, he was offered scholarships from schools like Oklahoma, TCU, Kansas State, and Texas Tech. Allen committed to the latter, and despite serving as a redshirt freshman on the Texas Tech Raiders, he emerged as the second-leading tackler. Unfortunately, following his first season, Allen and a few other teammates were expelled from Texas Tech after being charged with second-degree burglary. The charges were later dropped but the incident seemingly derailed Allen’s collegiate football career.

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Allen decided to transfer to EMCC for his sophomore season, which ended up being a positive move. The linebacker became the leading tackler on the 11-1 team. The opportunity given to him by EMCC and Coach Buddy Stephens turned his life around. Not only did he receive more Division I offers, but Allen was also invited to return to Texas Tech. He accepted the offer, having his breakout season during his junior year and a successful senior season. Due to his on-field performance, Allen caught the eyes of NFL scouts.

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Dakota Allen Has A Bright Future In The NFL

Allen was invited to attend the NFL Scouting Combine ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was then drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, making him the first player featured on the series to be chosen in the draft. The young linebacker signed a four-year contract with the Rams, but he was cut a few months later ahead of the new season. The following day, Allen signed on to the team’s practice squad. The Oakland Raiders snatched him up, making him the second Last Chance U and EMCC vet after Ronald Ollie to be connected to the California team.

After making his NFL debut in October 2019 while playing on special teams, Allen was waived by the Raiders, appearing in just two games. Shortly after, the player returned to the Rams practice squad, but it ended up being another short stint. The Jacksonville Jaguars saw a lot of promise in Allen, so they signed him during the 2019 season. The Last Chance U alum is still on the Jags active roster, and he’s been impressing during training camp before suffering a hip injury. As long as the injury isn’t too severe, the 24-year-old expects to see more snaps in the coming season.

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Kara Hedash
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Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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