Oregon's Devon Allen Leaves Team To Focus On Professional Track And Field Career

Devon Allen is a receiver for Oregon who was an integral part of the 2014 Marcus Mariota-led squad that finished second in the nation, but he’s perhaps most famous for his star turn at the Rio Olympics, where he finished fifth in the finals of the 110 meter hurdles. Allen has struggled through a pair of ACL tears and has only caught 13 passes since the 2014 season, and today he announced that he’d be leaving the Ducks to focus on his professional track career with the goal of winning gold in 2020.

Allen was a four-star recruit out of high school, and while he’s been an able receiver for the Ducks, he’s excelled on the track. Allen has won two NCAA championships, a national championship, and was the top runner at this summer’s Olympic trials. He certainly has the tools to win a gold in Tokyo, as his personal best time would have won been fast enough to earn him gold this summer.

As he told the , he’s accomplished everything he wanted to in college:

But despite his setbacks, he said he achieved nearly everything he set out to do in college. He proved he was more than just speed on the football field. The only thing left for him on the track would be the collegiate record, which he was quick to say was only three hundredths of a second faster than what he’s run. And in school, Allen will graduate this spring with his degree, which is what he said was his main priority to begin with.

Best of luck to Allen, may he break Omar McLeod’s heart in four years.