Developing Storyline: RB LeQuint Allen Jr.'s Placement in the Jaguars Offensive Scheme

Aug 12, 2025 at 04:41 PM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – He believes he belongs, and he plays like it.

LeQuint Allen Jr. said he knows no other way. Confidence comes naturally to the rookie running back, and it's defining his month as Jaguars 2025 Training Camp continues at the Miller Electric Center.

Draft status matters little to Allen. Performance matters a lot.

"That's definitely my approach," Allen said.

Allen, a seventh-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, has impressed coaches since arriving with the Jaguars shortly after the draft – and he has continued that with a strong '25 camp.

"I feel like when I put the pads on, I'm just as good as anybody," Allen said. "I don't care what round it is. I'm ready to compete with anybody – any hour, any minute of the day – and help my team win in any way possible, any phase possible out of all the phases of football."

Allen has shown significant versatility in pretty much every phase possible for an NFL running back – as a pass blocker, runner, receiver and special teams player.

He was among college football's leading receivers in his final season at Syracuse University in 2024, and has been perhaps the strongest pass-blocker this camp at a deep Jaguars running back position.

Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars offensive lineman Robert Hainsey (73) and head coach Liam Coen during training camp at the Miller Electric Center on August 12, 2025.

"I take that very seriously," he said. "No. 1, the quarterback. He's the soul of the offense, the soul of the team. You want to protect him always. Putting yourself front line for the QB is about everything. That's protecting the team, too.

"You want to protect the team, protect the QB and always put it on the line for your teammates."

That versatility could make him valuable in an offensive system under Head Coach Liam Coen that emphasizes running backs.

"I feel like I've fit this system since Day 1, just learning the offense and the way they like to use backs," Allen said. "Whether that's going out to the slot or all the way out – or coming out of the backfield – catching, protecting or running the ball.

"I think I'm one of those guys that fits the system, for sure. That's what's going to separate me. It's called running back, but what else can you do for the team? That's what I try to take seriously about my game."

Allen's intensity showed again Tuesday, with he and linebacker Branson Combs scuffling briefly in the first real "camp fight" of Jaguars '25 camp.

"We're just competing every day," Allen said. "When it's over, it's over."

And if Allen's confidence is perhaps unusual for a late-round-drafted rookie, it's natural for him. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey as a senior at Millville High School, and rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons at Syracuse.

As much as his performance on field, confidence came from his family – and his late father, LeQuint Allen Sr., who died after being shot after walking away from an argument in 2023.

"I'm not scared to be myself at the highest level," Allen said. "That's just from me growing up and just knowing who I am, and not faking it. I'm going to continue to be myself no matter what. I would say it goes all the way back to my father, too.

"There's just something about us in that DNA. I'm just carrying out that legacy. My father isn't here anymore, and I'm glad to be doing what I'm doing today."

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Jacksonville, Fla. — Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) during training camp at the Miller Electric Center on August 12, 2025.