CJ Allen isn’t yet a household name.
Unlike some of his fellow inside linebackers on the Georgia team, he wasn’t a five-star recruit coming out of high school. Allen was still a coveted prospect from Barnesville, but he finished the cycle as the No. 70 overall prospect for the 2023 cycle per the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The rising junior has been the most productive of Georgia’s three linebackers it signed in the same recruiting class. He ended up starting for the Bulldogs as a true freshman and was the team’s second-leading tackler in 2024.
Entering this upcoming season, Allen is expected to be a leader on Georgia’s defense. Players who usually fill that role tend to become top draft picks.
ESPN’s Matt Miller expects that to be the case for Allen.
“At 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, he’s built for the pro game and has the speed and explosiveness to be a solid modern linebacker prospect,” Miller wrote. ”Allen’s 2024 tape showed a downhill attacker who posted 49 solo tackles and one interception. He had a huge game against Georgia Tech, when he had 10 tackles. He’s a rising star on a defense known for producing early-round prospects."
Allen had 76 tackles last season to go along with 3.0 tackles for loss. Although he didn’t produce a massive statistical season, part of that can be explained by playing alongside Jalon Walker. The Butkus Award-winning linebacker tied for the team lead in sacks and became a first-round draft pick for the Atlanta Falcons.
Walker was one of three Georgia defenders taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. With a big season in 2025, Allen could follow a similar trajectory.
“Playing on a defense which had three first-round picks in 2025 left Allen under the radar, but he won’t be kept out of the spotlight for long,” Miller wrote.
Georgia should have one of the best linebacker rooms in the country in 2025. Allen will play alongside fellow junior Raylen Wilson. Sophomores Chris Cole and Justin Williams are also poised for larger roles as Georgia must replace Walker and now Philadelphia Eagle Smael Mondon.
Since Glenn Schumann became Georgia’s inside linebackers coach in 2016, the Bulldogs have produced three first-round picks at the position and three Butkus Award-winners.
Being the best linebacker at Georgia has often been a pathway to stardom. Allen very much seems to be on his way to that in the upcoming season.
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