In the commercial breaks before and after Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s rampant touchdowns in 2024, he remained on fans’ televisions.
On televisions across the country, Allen starred in “Hello Coach,” a Gatorade commercial highlighting his journey as an unrecruited high schooler to the eventual NFL MVP.
The school that gave him a chance was the University of Wyoming. After two shots at his sophomore season and a meteoric rise as a junior, Allen took his talents to Western New York, and the rest of history.
North Squad quarterback Josh Allen of Wyoming (17) throws a pass on the run during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Glenn Andrews-Imagn Images
On Saturday, the University of Wyoming announced Allen’s Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame enshrinement.
“The most popular and dynamic player ever to play at UW, Josh Allen brought the national spotlight to Wyoming football,” the school said in a press release. “Allen quarterbacked the Cowboys to two consecutive eight-win seasons, a berth in the Mountain West Championship game in 2016 and two bowl games.”
Allen finished his college career with 5,066 passing yards and 44 touchdowns. In 2016, he led the Mountain West Conference in touchdowns (28), interceptions (15), and yards per completion (15.3).
He was as polarizing as he was physically talented. Boasting perhaps the NFL’s strongest arm and the athleticism to match, Allen was a gunslinger who attempted to carry the weight of the school on his shoulders. He made impossible throws (and impossibly bad ones) and quickly became the 2018 NFL Draft’s hottest topic.
As he showed at Wyoming, he doesn’t need unanimous support to find success. Winning MVP in 2024, he’s the sun of Buffalo’s solar system and the biggest piece in the city’s Super Bowl hopes. Allen is one of the best players in the NFL and, years after clawing his way onto a college roster, will help define his generation of quarterbacks.
“His talents led to him becoming a nationally-known figure and a study of media coverage during his time at Wyoming estimated an exposure value of more than $46 million to the school,” Wyoming continued. “Selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 7th pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, he has continued to bring positive attention to the University during his stellar NFL career and was recently named the 2024-25 NFL Most Valuable Player.”
Allen will join Casey Bramlet, Curt Jimerson, Hugh Lowham, Mike Mulvaney, Lori Kline Waddell, and John Wendling in the Class of 2025.
