2015 Football Roster
Roster
Allen, Dakota

Jersey Number 40
Dakota Allen
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 224
- Class:
- Redshirt Freshman
- Hometown:
- Humble, Texas
- High School:
- Summer Creek
Bio
2018 SEASON (SENIOR)
Turned in another strong season to wrap his Red Raider career … named a team captain for second-straight year prior to the season ... appeared in 11 games on the season, all starts … sat out the Kansas State game, which marked the only missed contest of his Red Raider career … ranked among the top linebackers in the country despite battling multiple injuries late in the season … closed the year with 73 tackles (33 solo), which ranked second on the team … total included 6.5 tackles for a loss, resulting in 14 yards … shared one sack and added five quarterback hurries in the backfield … led the Red Raiders with two fumble recoveries … reached the 10-tackle mark twice and totaled eight or more in four games ... IN THE NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year tied for 24th nationally with two fumble recoveries … IN THE BIG 12 RANKINGS: shared the league high with two fumble recoveries … also ranked 13th in tackles per game (6.6) … averaged 6.8 tackles per game in conference play, which ranked 16th overall … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS … opened the season with four tackles against Ole Miss in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston (9/1) … posted six tackles the following week in a rout of Lamar (9/8), seeing limited duty in the second half … closed non-conference play with nine tackles, a quarterback hurry and a career-high two pass breakups against Houston (9/15) … opened Big 12 play with six tackles and a quarterback hurry at Oklahoma State (9/22) … followed with 12 tackles, including one for a loss versus West Virginia (9/29) … his 12 tackles were three shy of his career high … matched his career high with two quarterback hurries in Thursday night road win at TCU (10/11) … snapped his career high the following week with two tackles for a loss against Kansas (10/20) … named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following the win … added seven tackles, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry in the Homecoming victory … broke his career high for tackles at Iowa State (10/27) despite missing part of the first quarter with an injury … marked the most tackles by a Red Raider since teammate Jordyn Brooks recorded 18 against Baylor in 2016 … matched the fifth-highest tackle total in a single game by a Red Raider dating back to 2000 … recovered a key fumble in the end zone to tie the game at 31-31 early in the fourth quarter … limited over his final three outings of the season against Oklahoma (11/3), Texas (11/10) and Baylor (11/24) … AWARDS AND HONORS … named to the All-Big 12 first team by the conference coaches, Associated Press and ESPN … garnered Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 22 … preseason candidate for the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award ... Academic All-Big 12 second team honoree.
2017 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Made quite the return to Texas Tech … elected a team captain prior to the season and then proceeded to start all 13 games at WILL linebacker … sparked a defensive turnaround for the Red Raiders with a team-leading 102 tackles to go along with two sacks, a pair of interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery … added four pass breakups and three quarterback hurries as well … six of his tackles went for a loss, resulting in 28 yards … part of a Tech defense that ranked sixth nationally with 29 forced turnovers on the year … recorded 10 or more tackles in three games, which was tied with Jordyn Brooks for the team high … had or shared the team high for tackles in six games, which led the team … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ranked 88th for total tackles per game (7.8) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked seventh in total tackles per game … averaged 7.2 tackles per game in Big 12 play, which ranked 11th in the league … was one of just seven conference players to record 100 or more tackles on the season … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS … began the year with six tackles in the season opener against Eastern Washington (9/2) … added nine tackles two weeks later against Arizona State (9/16), which included the first of his two sacks on the year) … reached double digits for the first time on the season with 12 tackles at Houston (9/23) … also picked off a pass on Houston’s first drive of the game that marked the third interception of his career … had career-high two quarterback hurries as well … opened Big 12 play with eight tackles and a pass breakup versus Oklahoma State (9/30) … notched his second interception of the year at Kansas (10/7) to go along with four tackles … interception was the first of four takeaways by the Tech defense … posted five tackles and a pass breakup at West Virginia (10/14) … held to a season-low three tackles against Iowa State (10/21) … rebounded with 10 tackles the following week at Oklahoma (10/28) … snapped his career high with 1.5 tackles for a loss against Kansas State (11/4) … finished with seven tackles altogether versus the Wildcats … recovered a key fumble late in the first quarter of Tech’s win over Baylor (11/11) … fumble recovery, the first of his career, came with Baylor inside the Tech 10 yard line … had nine tackles, a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup to go along with the fumble recovery … forced his first career fumble the following week against TCU (11/18) … added seven tackles versus the Horned Frogs as well … recorded a season-high 13 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, in the victory at Texas (11/24) … his 13 tackles matched the single-game high among Red Raiders during the season … ended a stellar junior campaign with nine tackles in the Birmingham Bowl, the second postseason appearance of his career … AWARDS AND HONORS … All-Big 12 second team (coaches & Associated Press) … All-Big 12 first team selection by Pro Football Focus … recognized on the Bednarik Award watch list … named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25 following the win over Houston … marked the first time a Tech defensive player had received the honor since Jah’Shawn Johnson did so on Sept. 21, 2015 … was also part of Pro Football Focus’ National Team of the Week after Houston win … ranked No. 14 among returning players for the 2018 season by CBS Sports.
2016 SEASON (SOPHOMORE AT EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE)
Spent his 2016 sophomore season as a standout linebacker for East Mississippi Community College … helped lead the Lions to an 11-1 record, including a perfect 6-0 mark in MACJC play … Lions ended the season ranked second in the NJCAA after winning the MACJC title … East Mississippi C.C. is the feature school on the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U” … earned All-Region 23 and MACJC All-State/North first team honors … ranked eighth in the NJCAA with a team-leading 117 tackles on the season (64 solo) … ended the year tied for 21st nationally with 9.8 tackles per game … registered two sacks and three tackles for a loss on the year … also recorded an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five pass breakups … was a two-time MACJC Defensive Player of the Week honoree ... three-star prospect according to Rivals, Scout and 247Sports … listed as the No. 33 junior college recruit in the country according to Scout … ranked 45th by 247Sports and 50th by Rivals on each of their respective listings of the top 100 junior college prospects … returned to Texas Tech over offers from the likes of Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Marshall, Bowling Green and Troy.
2015 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN)
Became a regular for the Red Raiders at linebacker and on special teams ... ranked second on the team with 87 tackles on season, 45 of which were solo takedowns ... ranked ninth in the Big 12 in tackles per game (7.2) ... totaled at least 10 tackles in five games on season ... SEASON HIGHLIGHTS ... recorded three tackles in first collegiate action against Sam Houston State ... followed performance with a team-high 10 tackles against UTEP ... was one of three Red Raiders with more than 10 tackles against Arkansas ... finished with a career-high 12 tackles, three of which were solo ... posted nine tackles against TCU, the second-most on the team ... snapped career high with 13 tackles against Baylor ... made second career start against the Bears ... led the team with 11 tackles in victory over Iowa State ... had four tackles, all solo takedowns, against Kansas ... broke career high again with 15 tackles at Oklahoma ... had five tackles against Oklahoma State and snagged his first career interception, picking off Mason Rudolph in the first quarter with Tech already leading 14-0 ... had two tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against West Virginia ... missed the Kansas State game ... intercepted pass, made three tackles vs. LSU in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl ... AWARDS AND HONORS ... Academic All-Big 12 first team selection.
2014 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Redshirt season ... scout team member ... did not play.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Summer Creek High School in Humble, Texas ... three-star prospect by Rivals, Scout, 247Sports and ESPN ... logged 112 tackles and three interceptions as a senior ... ranked as the nation’s No. 23 inside linebacker according to ESPN ... District 19-4A Defensive MVP... CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Oklahoma, TCU, Kansas State and Iowa State ... High School Coach: Brian Ford.
PERSONAL
Dakota Devon Allen ... born in Dallas, Texas ... son of Stacey Hawkins and Keith Allen ... has an older brother, Anthony ... father played collegiate football as a running back at the University of Texas ... a management major at Texas Tech.
CAREER HIGHS (TEXAS TECH ONLY)
Tackles: 16, at Iowa State (2018)
Tackles For Loss: 2.0, vs. Kansas (2018)
Sacks: 1, twice, at Texas (2017)*
Interceptions: 1, 4x, at Kansas (2017)*
Longest Interception Return: 26 yards, at Kansas (2017)
Fumbles Forced: 1, 3x, at Iowa State (2018)*
Fumbles Recovered: 1, 3x, at Iowa State (2018)*
Quarterback Hurries: 2, twice, at TCU (2018)*
Pass Breakups: 2, vs. Houston (2018)
* Indicates most recent high
Turned in another strong season to wrap his Red Raider career … named a team captain for second-straight year prior to the season ... appeared in 11 games on the season, all starts … sat out the Kansas State game, which marked the only missed contest of his Red Raider career … ranked among the top linebackers in the country despite battling multiple injuries late in the season … closed the year with 73 tackles (33 solo), which ranked second on the team … total included 6.5 tackles for a loss, resulting in 14 yards … shared one sack and added five quarterback hurries in the backfield … led the Red Raiders with two fumble recoveries … reached the 10-tackle mark twice and totaled eight or more in four games ... IN THE NCAA RANKINGS: ended the year tied for 24th nationally with two fumble recoveries … IN THE BIG 12 RANKINGS: shared the league high with two fumble recoveries … also ranked 13th in tackles per game (6.6) … averaged 6.8 tackles per game in conference play, which ranked 16th overall … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS … opened the season with four tackles against Ole Miss in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston (9/1) … posted six tackles the following week in a rout of Lamar (9/8), seeing limited duty in the second half … closed non-conference play with nine tackles, a quarterback hurry and a career-high two pass breakups against Houston (9/15) … opened Big 12 play with six tackles and a quarterback hurry at Oklahoma State (9/22) … followed with 12 tackles, including one for a loss versus West Virginia (9/29) … his 12 tackles were three shy of his career high … matched his career high with two quarterback hurries in Thursday night road win at TCU (10/11) … snapped his career high the following week with two tackles for a loss against Kansas (10/20) … named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following the win … added seven tackles, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry in the Homecoming victory … broke his career high for tackles at Iowa State (10/27) despite missing part of the first quarter with an injury … marked the most tackles by a Red Raider since teammate Jordyn Brooks recorded 18 against Baylor in 2016 … matched the fifth-highest tackle total in a single game by a Red Raider dating back to 2000 … recovered a key fumble in the end zone to tie the game at 31-31 early in the fourth quarter … limited over his final three outings of the season against Oklahoma (11/3), Texas (11/10) and Baylor (11/24) … AWARDS AND HONORS … named to the All-Big 12 first team by the conference coaches, Associated Press and ESPN … garnered Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 22 … preseason candidate for the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award ... Academic All-Big 12 second team honoree.
2017 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Made quite the return to Texas Tech … elected a team captain prior to the season and then proceeded to start all 13 games at WILL linebacker … sparked a defensive turnaround for the Red Raiders with a team-leading 102 tackles to go along with two sacks, a pair of interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery … added four pass breakups and three quarterback hurries as well … six of his tackles went for a loss, resulting in 28 yards … part of a Tech defense that ranked sixth nationally with 29 forced turnovers on the year … recorded 10 or more tackles in three games, which was tied with Jordyn Brooks for the team high … had or shared the team high for tackles in six games, which led the team … IN NCAA RANKINGS: ranked 88th for total tackles per game (7.8) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: ranked seventh in total tackles per game … averaged 7.2 tackles per game in Big 12 play, which ranked 11th in the league … was one of just seven conference players to record 100 or more tackles on the season … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS … began the year with six tackles in the season opener against Eastern Washington (9/2) … added nine tackles two weeks later against Arizona State (9/16), which included the first of his two sacks on the year) … reached double digits for the first time on the season with 12 tackles at Houston (9/23) … also picked off a pass on Houston’s first drive of the game that marked the third interception of his career … had career-high two quarterback hurries as well … opened Big 12 play with eight tackles and a pass breakup versus Oklahoma State (9/30) … notched his second interception of the year at Kansas (10/7) to go along with four tackles … interception was the first of four takeaways by the Tech defense … posted five tackles and a pass breakup at West Virginia (10/14) … held to a season-low three tackles against Iowa State (10/21) … rebounded with 10 tackles the following week at Oklahoma (10/28) … snapped his career high with 1.5 tackles for a loss against Kansas State (11/4) … finished with seven tackles altogether versus the Wildcats … recovered a key fumble late in the first quarter of Tech’s win over Baylor (11/11) … fumble recovery, the first of his career, came with Baylor inside the Tech 10 yard line … had nine tackles, a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup to go along with the fumble recovery … forced his first career fumble the following week against TCU (11/18) … added seven tackles versus the Horned Frogs as well … recorded a season-high 13 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, in the victory at Texas (11/24) … his 13 tackles matched the single-game high among Red Raiders during the season … ended a stellar junior campaign with nine tackles in the Birmingham Bowl, the second postseason appearance of his career … AWARDS AND HONORS … All-Big 12 second team (coaches & Associated Press) … All-Big 12 first team selection by Pro Football Focus … recognized on the Bednarik Award watch list … named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25 following the win over Houston … marked the first time a Tech defensive player had received the honor since Jah’Shawn Johnson did so on Sept. 21, 2015 … was also part of Pro Football Focus’ National Team of the Week after Houston win … ranked No. 14 among returning players for the 2018 season by CBS Sports.
2016 SEASON (SOPHOMORE AT EAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE)
Spent his 2016 sophomore season as a standout linebacker for East Mississippi Community College … helped lead the Lions to an 11-1 record, including a perfect 6-0 mark in MACJC play … Lions ended the season ranked second in the NJCAA after winning the MACJC title … East Mississippi C.C. is the feature school on the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U” … earned All-Region 23 and MACJC All-State/North first team honors … ranked eighth in the NJCAA with a team-leading 117 tackles on the season (64 solo) … ended the year tied for 21st nationally with 9.8 tackles per game … registered two sacks and three tackles for a loss on the year … also recorded an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five pass breakups … was a two-time MACJC Defensive Player of the Week honoree ... three-star prospect according to Rivals, Scout and 247Sports … listed as the No. 33 junior college recruit in the country according to Scout … ranked 45th by 247Sports and 50th by Rivals on each of their respective listings of the top 100 junior college prospects … returned to Texas Tech over offers from the likes of Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Marshall, Bowling Green and Troy.
2015 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN)
Became a regular for the Red Raiders at linebacker and on special teams ... ranked second on the team with 87 tackles on season, 45 of which were solo takedowns ... ranked ninth in the Big 12 in tackles per game (7.2) ... totaled at least 10 tackles in five games on season ... SEASON HIGHLIGHTS ... recorded three tackles in first collegiate action against Sam Houston State ... followed performance with a team-high 10 tackles against UTEP ... was one of three Red Raiders with more than 10 tackles against Arkansas ... finished with a career-high 12 tackles, three of which were solo ... posted nine tackles against TCU, the second-most on the team ... snapped career high with 13 tackles against Baylor ... made second career start against the Bears ... led the team with 11 tackles in victory over Iowa State ... had four tackles, all solo takedowns, against Kansas ... broke career high again with 15 tackles at Oklahoma ... had five tackles against Oklahoma State and snagged his first career interception, picking off Mason Rudolph in the first quarter with Tech already leading 14-0 ... had two tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against West Virginia ... missed the Kansas State game ... intercepted pass, made three tackles vs. LSU in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl ... AWARDS AND HONORS ... Academic All-Big 12 first team selection.
2014 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Redshirt season ... scout team member ... did not play.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Summer Creek High School in Humble, Texas ... three-star prospect by Rivals, Scout, 247Sports and ESPN ... logged 112 tackles and three interceptions as a senior ... ranked as the nation’s No. 23 inside linebacker according to ESPN ... District 19-4A Defensive MVP... CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Oklahoma, TCU, Kansas State and Iowa State ... High School Coach: Brian Ford.
PERSONAL
Dakota Devon Allen ... born in Dallas, Texas ... son of Stacey Hawkins and Keith Allen ... has an older brother, Anthony ... father played collegiate football as a running back at the University of Texas ... a management major at Texas Tech.
CAREER HIGHS (TEXAS TECH ONLY)
Tackles: 16, at Iowa State (2018)
Tackles For Loss: 2.0, vs. Kansas (2018)
Sacks: 1, twice, at Texas (2017)*
Interceptions: 1, 4x, at Kansas (2017)*
Longest Interception Return: 26 yards, at Kansas (2017)
Fumbles Forced: 1, 3x, at Iowa State (2018)*
Fumbles Recovered: 1, 3x, at Iowa State (2018)*
Quarterback Hurries: 2, twice, at TCU (2018)*
Pass Breakups: 2, vs. Houston (2018)
* Indicates most recent high
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