Transfer linebacker Ben Allen breaking through with revamped Eastern Washington unit

After last season, Ben Allen entered the transfer portal, and the courtship began.

It started with some Twitter follows from Eastern Washington football coaches, which led to a campus visit in January.

Once he was in Cheney, Allen was smitten.

“I really liked the guys. I really liked everything,” said Allen, who played his past four seasons at Bucknell. “They told me about what the program stands for. A down year last year, but overall it’s been a winning program.”

Allen had to finish up his undergraduate degree last spring at Bucknell – management and business, with a minor in real estate – which steepened the learning curve this summer.

But he is definitely in the mix in a linebacker corps that wants to improve on its results from last year.

“Day to day, it just keeps getting more comfortable,” Allen said.

While the Eagles return their top four linebackers from a year ago in senior Jaren Banks (66 tackles) and juniors Derek Tommasini (64), Conner O’Farrell (39) and Trevor Thurman (22) – plus redshirt junior Ahmani Williams, who was limited to playing four games down the stretch – it was a rough season for the defense.

As last year wore on, offenses did more damage to the Eagles’ run defense, five times gaining more than 300 yards on the ground. The fewest the Eagles gave up all season was 154 to Northern Colorado in their season finale, a 45-21 Eagles victory at Roos Field.

Heading into this year, the Eagles hired a new linebackers coach, Eric Sanders, after Justin Mullgrav led the group in 2022.

Sanders said watching film doesn’t really give someone enough information to have a meaningful opinion about a team, so he was careful not to pass judgment about what happened last year.

“I wasn’t in the room. I don’t know the health, the matchups, the specific details,” Sanders said. “But speaking as a linebackers coach, everywhere I’ve been I try to bring specific emphases, and so a big one for me is effort. That’s one thing I really like about these kids. I’m huge on playing with tremendous effort.”

Sanders said that if everyone is bringing that effort, then they’re going to need plenty of linebackers who can play come Sept. 2 when the Eagles open their season against North Dakota State in Minneapolis.

“There are never enough reps at practice for everybody to get as many as they want,” Sanders said. “We’re going to be seven, eight, nine deep with guys who can go in the game, with guys who are going to make us proud.”

That’s why the additions of Allen and UCLA senior transfer Adam Cohen, plus the presence of returners Shane Aleaga , Myles Mayovsky and Bishop Blakely is so important.

“It’s awesome to get Ben Allen and Adam Cohen in. Those are two key guys,” Banks said after the first day of preseason practice. “Ben at Bucknell was a team captain, and Adam, having the Power Five experience coming from UCLA, we need all the help we can get.”

Allen played in 37 games at Bucknell, totaling 188 tackles, 4.5 sacks and two pass deflections. But the Bison also went 9-28 in his four seasons there, including a 3-8 mark last season.

He sees the Eagles’ 3-8 last year as an anomaly in a program that otherwise has had a tradition of winning.

“A lot of the guys on the defense have a chip on their shoulder, and that’s something I was really excited to see coming in,” Allen said. “Guys are really excited to be a good defense this year and to show a lot of improvement.”

Sanders has experience coaching in college – at UC Davis, Utah State and Stanford – plus time in the NFL with the Jets, Browns and Raiders. He also knows Eagles defensive coordinator Jeff Copp, a relationship that goes back to their time with the Aggies (both Davis and USU).

“I had a good feel for what we were doing already,” Sanders said.

Allen isn’t a captain at EWU as he was at Bucknell, but he said he is leading as opportunities come. One way is by demonstrating the power of resiliency.

“Just don’t flinch,” he said. “When there’s a big play, a big run, we’ve got to get back to the next play, and I think that’s something that just playing a lot of football (has taught me).

“You just can’t dwell on the last play, and I think a lot of guys are getting better at that. That’s definitely something I’ve learned over the last four years.”