"I just can't explain my excitement." Beau Allen is ready to come back home

When Beau Allen came to Kentucky as a three-star prospect out of Lexington Catholic High School, he was in line to become the next in-state quarterback to suit up for the Wildcats. Allen was a top 500 recruit in the nation from the 2020 class, enrolled early at Kentucky to earn extra reps, and even saw some snaps as a true freshman.

Then, Kentucky brought in Will Levis, now the Tennessee Titans’ franchise signal caller, keeping Allen locked in as the Wildcats’ backup. Levis would fill in as UK’s starter during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, putting Allen in a tough situation. He made the decision to transfer away from the city he was raised in in search of more playing time. Allen found that at Tarleton State in 2022, passing for over 2,800 yards and 23 touchdowns across 11 games as a starter. He then took another step in his career by transferring to Georgia Southern for the 2023 season, but NCAA transfer rules deemed him ineligible.

Allen stayed sharp though while observing and watching from the sidelines. Georgia Southern finished with a 6-6 regular season record and is set to play in the very first bowl game of the 2023 postseason. The Eagles will take on Ohio (9-3) in the Myrtle Beach Bowl this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. EST. Allen has been the scout team quarterback and is currently preparing with Georgia Southern down in South Carolina for this weekend’s bowl.

Shortly after that wraps up, he and his parents will head back home to Lexington. Allen announced earlier this week that he is returning to Kentucky through the transfer portal. He won’t have to sit out a year either, so he’ll join a quarterback room in 2024 that expects to feature Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff and four-star freshman Cutter Boley. Boley actually attends Lexington Christian Academy, the nearby rival of Lexington Catholic.

“I know Cutter really well and I’ve got a lot of respect for him. As well as Brock. I have not gotten to meet Brock but I’m sure he’s a great dude,” Allen told KSR on Wednesday. “I’m gonna go in there and compete and I’ve gotten some real reps. I understand I haven’t started games in SEC football but I’m still going in there to compete, give it everything I got. No matter what the role is, I’ll give everything I’ve got. I’m going in there to compete.”

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— Beau Allen (@BeauAllen11) December 11, 2023

In the back of his mind, Allen never lost the idea of a potential return to Kentucky, even when he left the first time around. He might not have said it out loud until now, but that thought was always floating around in his brain somewhere. There were even some early conversations with UK once he left Tarleton State, although they never got too serious. When Georgia Southern had its bye week this season, Allen used that free time to watch (and cheer for) Kentucky against No. 1 Georgia in Athens.

When Allen put his name in the portal a couple of weeks ago, he spoke with Wake Forest for a bit and had conversations with some other schools. But once he sat down with Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and there was a clear mutual interest in his return, the decision was made.

“Being with Coach (Liam) Coen was awesome and going back home is also a benefit, definitely a bonus,” Allen said. “But when I made this decision, I was thinking about — what I’m gonna say is exactly how I think why I made this decision. I was like I have two years of college football left and if I give absolutely everything that I have and all I know is that I was the best quarterback I can possibly be, I would be happy if I did this at Kentucky. That whole theory and mindset that I’ve had the past month or so, when I really understood that’s what I wanted, that was when I really made that decision. I should go do this.”

As he said, Allen will have two years of eligibility remaining. He once thought he would get into coaching, but he’s adamant that’s no longer the case. He’s coming back to compete and develop his skills at quarterback. Allen also plans to sit in on Kentucky’s bowl game practices as the Wildcats prepare for a Gator Bowl matchup against No. 23 Clemson on Dec. 29.

In the end, the opportunity to come back home was too much to pass on. Allen isn’t the same person or quarterback he was when he left Kentucky after the 2021 season. This was a move he wanted to do for himself, one he believes will benefit his own personal growth both on and off the field. Beau Allen is right back where he was always meant to be.

“I can’t thank so many fans and people enough for just being welcoming,” Allen said. “The decision I made two years ago, it was something I needed to do, I’m thankful for so many people that allowed me to do that and excel in those situations.

“But I’m probably even more thankful I have an opportunity to do this again with so many great people. The fans just make it even more inspiring and motivating to me, that I’ve been welcomed from all sorts of people. I just can’t explain my excitement to be able to come back and give all I’ve got for the football team, for the whole University, and the whole state of Kentucky.”