The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Catching up with Will Allen
03.27.2006 | Football
2006 has been quite a year for Will Allen. He started by helping Texas to the National Championship in early January. Then, he played in the Senior Bowl in late January. Shortly after the Senior Bowl, it was off to Atlanta to begin a strict regimen of workouts to prepare for Texas' Pro Day. But, before Allen could get to March 22, he experienced the most important event of all, when he married his long-time girlfriend. Mack Brown-TexasFootball.com had a chance to catch up with the big offensive lineman after he completed his drills at Pro Day.
On his focus on Pro Day: You can only give what you've got. I figured that after the Rose Bowl, I would give this everything I could. I've been putting in four and five-hour days in the weight room and focusing on my training and I felt that as long as I did that, it didn't really matter what my numbers would be, as long as I put everything I had into it.
On the morning of Pro Day: When I woke up, it seemed like it was just like any other morning. I went and got some breakfast at Red River, relaxed and read the Chronicle. Then, I got here and just kind of hung out until everything got started.
On working out in Atlanta: I went down to Atlanta for eight weeks to work out at a place called Competitive Edge Sports. It was really tough to leave. I've been living in Texas my whole life and I've been working out in either Houston or here in Austin the whole time. But, I felt like I needed to do it. It allowed me to get away from all the distractions and really go to work. In Atlanta, all I had to do was work out. You could do it at whatever time you wanted to and for however long you wanted to. There was always somebody watching you to make sure you did every rep. I felt like it was the best thing for me to do.
On the results of his training: Realistically, there is only so much you can do in eight weeks. I think running-wise, I gained quite a bit. There is a huge difference in whether you run a 5.3 or a 5.29, and even though that sounds silly, it really is a big deal. I guess when you start thinking about that, you can't effect that by just running. You have to videotape yourself and study it and improve your technique, so there is a lot that goes into it.
On the offensive line drills at Pro Day: They were a lot of fun. I really enjoy playing offensive line and doing the drills. Granted, it was nothing like what coach McWhorter (Texas' offensive line coach) puts us through during a practice, so I felt like it went well. I thought all of us, Mike Garcia, Will Winston and Jonathan Scott, performed well.
On getting married recently: The biggest difference between me now and me before I was married has to be my cleanliness. Before, when I would eat, I'd just leave the trash on the table for my roommate to take care of. Now, if I do that, I hear about it for the next few days, so rather than hear about it, I just pick it up myself. Seriously, she makes me a better person and I couldn't be happier. We're just looking towards the future.