Allen: From lifeguard to college team captain
Every Fall the Javelina football team names four football players – two offensive and two defensive players – Team Captains.
This season, The South Texan will interview these captains and go into a deeper dive of who they are and how they got to where they are today.
The captains for the 2024-2025 season are defensive tackle Xavier Henderson, defensive end Demarcus Hendricks, running back Roger Hagan and wide receiver Jackson Allen, who is featured first.
Allen has always been a leader on and off the field having a lifeguard background and being a positive influence wherever he went.
Head lifeguard at McGee Beach in Corpus Christi Aaron Brummett had nothing but high praise for Allen after being his manager for several years.
“You never had to ask him to do anything. He was a real go-getter and was always super positive. Jackson had leadership qualities from his first day there, even so much that I told him he could definitely run the facility when I left,” Brummett said.
As well as his former manager having high praise for Allen, offensive coordinator Sean Lagerstrom also knows how important Allen’s leadership is to the team.
“Jackson does a great job of not only leading by example, but in terms of when momentum may not be going our way or maybe things just aren’t falling into place the way they should be or we want them to be. He kind of steps up, not only with his play but vocally,” Lagerstrom says.
Lagerstrom also knows that Allen is as much of a leader on the field as he is off the field.
“He’s respected by his teammates because he does handle his business both on and off the field. And again, it’s a guy that not only us as a staff, but the players, can lean on and count on to be able to step up for us,” he continued.
As Lagerstrom said the staff and team lean on Allen because of how much respect he has gained, and this comes from his leadership role and his longevity with the program.
Being a graduate student and playing for the team for five years, Allen understands the vital role he plays in helping younger players learn the playbook and what to expect out of college football.
“It’s an offense that I’ve been around for five years now, so I feel like I know it very well.
And I can help get guys going that may not know it as well as I do. I just have a good understanding of what the coaches expect of us, so I can lead in that aspect as well,” Allen said.
With this mentality fans can expect great things from Allen and the team this year.
From saving lives to leading his team on Saturday nights, Jackson Allen is sure to turn heads this season and aid the Javelina’s chase for glory through the Lonestar Conference this year.
The next game will be hosted at Javelina Stadium Sept. 28 against Sul Ross University for their second home game of the season.
