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Syracuse football is best known for its elite running backs. Before becoming Pro Football Hall of Famers, Jim Brown and Floyd Little developed at SU. If he hadn’t tragically passed away shortly after being selected No. 1 overall in 1962, Ernie Davis likely would’ve followed the same path.

Beyond the trio who donned No. 44, Joe Morris and Larry Csonka had storied NFL careers after dominating for the Orange. Though injuries prevented him from reaching the next level, Walter Reyes accumulated more scrimmage yards (3,974) at SU than everyone except Morris (4,577).

Since Reyes’ domination in the early 2000s, Syracuse saw Sean Tucker (3,798) and Delone Carter (3,312) finish their careers ranked third and fourth, respectively, on the program’s all-time scrimmage yard list. When Tucker sat out SU’s 2022 Pinstripe Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, LeQuint Allen Jr. broke out as the program’s next star running back, tallying 154 all-purpose yards in his first start as a true freshman.

Two years later, in his final game with Syracuse before declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, Allen Jr. cemented his legacy in a 52-35 Holiday Bowl win over Washington State. He scored three touchdowns en route to the Orange’s 10th win of a program-shifting campaign, becoming their first player to score 20 or more touchdowns in a season since Reyes’ 21 in 2003. Despite only starting for two seasons, Allen Jr. finished his SU career with the most receptions by a running back (119), the fourth-most scrimmage touchdowns (32) and the sixth-most scrimmage yards (3,207) in program history.

Headlined by Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Allen Jr. joins a loaded class of running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft. But for Allen Jr., he stands out as one of two players in the country to have registered over 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards this year — along with star Arizona State back Cam Skattebo.

“I love Syracuse, Syracuse changed my life,” Allen Jr. told Fox’s Jenny Taft after SU’s win over Washington State.

Allen Jr. totaled 1,064 rushing and 210 receiving yards as a bell-cow in 2023. But with the Orange facing a coaching change, opposing programs tried getting him to enter the transfer portal. However, Allen Jr. remained in central New York after Syracuse hired Fran Brown. Because of his unmatched toughness, which perfectly exemplifies the ‘T’ in Brown’s D.A.R.T. culture, the first-year head coach quickly admired his star running back.

“He’s the heart of the team,” Brown said of Allen Jr. in September. “If we all had that heartbeat, we’d be pretty good.”

LeQuint Allen Jr. cuts through Washington State’s defense during his 12-yard touchdown run. Allen Jr. finished with 165 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in Syracuse’s 52-35 Holiday Bowl victory. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

Throughout the year, SU’s best wins went hand in hand with Allen Jr.’s strongest games. The running back scored a career-high four touchdowns in a thrilling overtime win over UNLV. In the Orange’s overtime win against Virginia Tech, he notched a season high 121 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. Late in November, Allen Jr. tallied 143 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in an upset win over Miami.

And in his last game with the Orange, he paired his three touchdowns with a season-high 165 scrimmage yards. Following a disappointing first drive resulting in a punt, three Allen Jr. runs for 23 yards set the table for quarterback Kyle McCord to connect with Trebor Peña for a touchdown to answer a Cougars’ score.

Following a defensive stand, back-to-back McCord completions to Jackson Meeks brought the Orange to WSU’s 12-yard line. SU then turned to Allen, who plowed his way up the middle for his first touchdown before he converted a two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14.

With the game tied 21-21 midway through the second quarter, Allen Jr. started an eight-play, 94-yard drive with a 27-yard run. He capped it with a two-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Orange a lead they never relinquished.

As Syracuse handled business against a Washington State squad decimated by the portal, Allen Jr. reached substantial milestones in the second half. First, he became the Orange’s fourth running back — joining Reyes, Carter and Tucker — this century to rush for over 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

And on his final touch with Syracuse, he housed a screen pass 33 yards for his 20th touchdown of the season. It also brought him over 500 receiving yards for the campaign. No other running back in program history had reached the benchmark in a single season.

While another year at Syracuse might’ve seen Allen Jr. rewrite the program’s rushing records, his Holiday Bowl performance cemented his legacy. Beyond going down as one of the best running backs in program history, Allen Jr. will forever be remembered as one of the engineers behind helping SU return to prominence.

Published on January 2, 2025 at 5:40 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon