Houston Lands Texas A&M 5-Star Transfer QB Kyle Allen

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

The Houston Cougars recruiting success went beyond the high school ranks on Tuesday when head coach Tom Herman accepted transferring quarterback Kyle Allen.

Landing Allen speaks volumes to the quick success Herman has had on and off the collegiate football field since taking over the Houston program at the end of the 2014 season. Easy to say Houston was the best Group of Six team after winning the American Athletic Conference West Division Title, the AAC Championship, and defeated then- No. 9 Florida State 38-24 in the Peach Bowl finishing with a 13-1, 7-1, record.

Allen comes to Houston from Texas A&M after a somewhat disastrous season for Kevin Sumlin in College Station. The Aggies finished 8-5, 4-4 in SEC play, for a second consecutive year and also for another consecutive year Sumlin lost a starting quarter due to transfer – two at the end of the 2015 season. When the 2014 season was completed, Kenny Hill left the Aggies for TCU after leading the team with 2,649 passing yards and 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

Allen took over for Hill during the backend of the Aggies 2014 season completing 118 of 192 passes for 1,322 yards with 16 touchdowns against seven picks. The future looked bright for Allen in College Station. The former 5-star recruit was the heir apparent but then Sumlin got the team into rough waters recruiting another 5-star, Kyler Murray.

Murray and Allen battled for the starting quarterback position with Allen winning but a mid-season slide led Sumlin to put Murray in as the team’s starting quarterback. That experiment lasted about 2.5 games through a win against South Carolina, a loss to Auburn, and a blowout win over Western Carolina. By Game 11, Allen was the team’s starter again finishing out the regular season against Vanderbilt and LSU. Murray did not get back onto the field after the Western Carolina win.

Both quarterbacks had their fill of the situation in College Station with Sumlin opting to transfer before the team’s Music City Bowl showdown against Louisville, a loss for A&M (27-21). Murray was the second of the two quarterbacks to transfer quickly landing with Oklahoma. Former Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight, oddly enough, transferred from the Sooners to Texas A&M. Murray threw for 686 yards hitting 59.5 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. The dual-threat was able to show off his blazing speed rushing for 335 yards on 53 carries with another score.

Before Allen hung up his cleats in College Station, he had passed for 2,210 yards with 17 touchdowns against seven picks in 2015.

Another troubling sign for Sumlin, offensive coordinator Jake Spavital left the team on Sunday raising more red flags in College Station. The decision was called a “parting of ways” by Sumlin.

Allen coming into Houston works out for the Cougars with starting quarterback Greg Ward Jr. set to finish his college eligibility in 2016. Ward, also a dual-threat, passed for 2,828 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2015. The 5’11”, 180 pound, athlete also ran for 1,108 yards finding the end zone another 21 times.

The Cougars have hit the recruiting trail hard pulling together a solid class with less than a month to go before National Signing Day. Overall, Houston has 21 players committed with four recruits considered a 4-star. The biggest question, besides how strongly Houston may finish on NSD, is will Herman be around to coach these players after the 2016 season is completed?

Herman was on the shortlist for several jobs once the 2015 season concluded but signed a contract extension with the Cougars that included a raise staying put for at least one more season. Two big Texas schools could be looking for a new head coach at the end of the 2016 season, the aforementioned Aggies and the Texas Longhorns. Herman would be a nice fit with either program if a change at one or the other program comes around.

Photo credit: statesman.com; No. 10 Kyle Allen drops back to pass for Texas A&M verses Vanderbilt.