Keenan Allen

Early years

A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Allen attended Northern Guilford High School, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. In football, he was a standout on both sides of the ball for the Nighthawks football team. He was a 2009 high school All-American, selected by USA Today and Parade, and also played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl, returning one punt for 33 yards as well as one kickoff also for 33 yards.

In track & field, Allen was a state qualifier in the long jump (top-jump of 7.01 meters). As a senior, he competed in sprints. He took 24th in the 400-meter dash event at the 2010 PTFCA State Meet, with a time of 51.60 seconds. He also competed in the 100-meter dash, recording a personal-best time of 11.2 seconds. In addition, he was also timed at 4.56 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Allen was regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com, and was widely considered the top defensive back in the nation.

College career

Allen attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he started at wide receiver for the California Golden Bears football team from 2010 to 2012. Allen left Cal after his junior season having caught a school-record 205 passes, for 2,570 yards (third in school history) and 25 touchdowns (seventh). As a sophomore in the 2011 season, Allen had a career-high 98 catches for 1,343 yards.

Professional career

Due to a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) sprain he sustained during the 2012 season, Allen did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, but did run routes at Cal's Pro Day. Keenan Allen was described by draft pundits as one of the best receivers in the 2013 NFL draft, estimating that he would be picked in the later half of the first round.

On April 9, 2013, Allen attended his own pro day, where he showed his route running skills and catching abilities to numerous scouts and reporters. Due to a knee injury that Allen sustained last season, he was not at peak performance, leading to a 4.71-second time in the 40-yard dash. Allen noted that he was only at 80% health on the pro day. This led to a drop in his projected draft position.

2013 season

Allen was drafted in the 3rd round, 76th overall, by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2013 NFL Draft, though the team was already deep at the wide receiver position. He was the highest selected wide receiver from Cal since DeSean Jackson in 2008. Allen had been on General Manager Tom Telesco's radar for a while. In 2011, Telesco attended Cal’s game against USC at San Francisco’s AT&T Park where Allen enjoyed one of the most prolific days of his career that evening, catching a career-best 13 passes for 160 yards. On May 9, 2013, he signed a four-year, $2.81 million contract with the Chargers, which included a $613,800 signing bonus.

Allen struggled at times during training camp. Teammate Antonio Gates envisioned that Allen in 2013 would play behind Eddie Royal, Vincent Brown, Malcom Floyd, and Danario Alexander. Although Alexander suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, Allen did not participate in any offensive plays in San Diego's season opening loss to the Houston Texans. Unaccustomed to being a reserve player, he considered quitting football and returning to school to complete his degree. He began receiving playing time the following week against the Philadelphia Eagles when Floyd suffered a season-ending injury. On October 6, 2013, against the Oakland Raiders, Allen had his first 100-yard game as an NFL receiver, having 6 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. The next week, in a win against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, Allen repeated the accomplishment with 9 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. In Week 14 of the 2013 season, he set a franchise record for receptions in a rookie season, surpassing LaDainian Tomlinson, with 61 with 3 weeks remaining in the regular season.

He finished the season leading all NFL rookies with 71 receptions, and led the team with 1,046 receiving yards—which also broke the Chargers rookie record of 1,001 set by John Jefferson in 1978. Only five other rookies had ever had more receiving yards in league history, while his eight touchdowns tied him for third all-time with six other rookies. He also set a Chargers rookie record with five 100-yard games in a season, and he tied Royal for the team lead in touchdowns. Four times during the season Allen was voted the NFL Rookie of the Week, and he was named NFL Rookie of the Year by Sporting News over runner-up Eddie Lacy. While the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA) named running back Lacy their 2013 Rookie of the Year, they also named Allen their Offensive Rookie of the Year. Allen was runner-up to Lacy for the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press (AP), consider by the NFL to be its official award. In a vote by fans, Allen was named Pepsi NEXT NFL Rookie of the Year. Many experts came to view Allen's being drafted in the third round as a steal by San Diego; seven other wide receivers were taken before him. ESPN wrote in December that "Allen has performed like a first-round talent." The Chargers qualified for the playoffs that season. In the wildcard round, they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 27-10. They advanced to the divisional round, when Allen caught two touchdowns during a comeback attempt in the fourth quarter of a 24–17 loss to the Denver Broncos. He finished with six receptions for 142 yards, becoming just the second rookie in NFL history to gain 100 receiving yards and score two touchdowns in a playoff game.

2014 season

In Week 4 of the 2014 season, Allen established a career-high of 10 receptions for 135 yards in a 33–14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. During week 12 against the Ravens Allen had caught 2 touchdowns and 121 receiving yards contributing to the Chargers win. He missed the last two games of the season after suffering a broken right collarbone against Denver in Week 15. He finished the season with 77 receptions for 783 yards and 4 touchdowns.

2015 season

In Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, Allen had 15 receptions for 166 yards, tying Kellen Winslow's franchise record for most receptions in a game. The next week, Allen would struggle all game to get open finishing 2 receptions for 16 yards. However, the following week Allen would catch both of the Chargers touchdowns and have 12 receptions for 133 yards in a losing attempt against the Minnesota Vikings. Against the Cleveland Browns Allen would have 4 receptions 72 yards and a diving touchdown grab.

On November 3, the Chargers announced that Allen would miss the rest of the season after suffering a kidney injury.

2016 season

On June 10, 2016, Allen agreed to a four-year, $45 million contract extension with the Chargers.

On September 11, 2016, Allen's return from a season-ending kidney injury the previous year took a scary turn in San Diego's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Allen was down on the field in pain with an apparent injury with less than two minutes to go in the first half, and was carted off the field. The team announced that he would not return to the game with a right knee injury. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that San Diego suspected Allen had suffered an ACL tear based on initial tests. Later tests showed an ACL tear, and the team confirmed that Allen would miss the rest of the 2016 season.

Personal life

Allen is the younger half-brother of quarterback Zach Maynard, who also played at Cal. The two combined for the longest pass play in school history when they hooked up on a 90-yard score against the Washington Huskies. They share a mother, Dorie Maynard-Lang, and Maynard's biological father, Scott Lang, is Allen's stepfather. Allen's cousin, Maurice Harris, is an NFL wide receiver for the Washington Redskins, with the two being teammates in high school and college.

Allen is childhood friends with Oakland Raiders cornerback David Amerson, who was selected in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.