Baylor fifth year safety Michael Allen is in the running for one of college football’s most respected off-field honors.
Allen was announced Wednesday afternoon as one of 20 semifinalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. The Bears co-captain is one of six leaders on the 2026 roster and has built his case with a rare blend of production, service and classroom excellence.
On the field, Allen has appeared in 34 career games and has largely handled the dirty work as Baylor’s lead blocker on kickoff returns. The Stillwell, Kan., native has also returned four kicks for 84 total yards, highlighted by a 27-yard runback against Prairie View A&M in the 2026 home opener. Beyond the special teams grind, he functions as a hybrid “player-coach,” sitting in on defensive staff meetings during the week, relaying defensive calls and contributing on every phase of special teams.
Allen’s impact stretches well beyond football. He has put in more than 100 hours serving the Waco community, with work that has included helping prepare school lunches, building homes for underserved areas of Waco, organizing toy drives and reading to elementary school students.
His biggest community role may be his work with Uplifting Athletes, where he serves as Baylor’s chapter leader for the national nonprofit focused on rare disease research. For the past four years, Allen has organized and led fundraising efforts that have brought in more than $10,000 by pulling in teammates, campus partners and community members.
He has also been a standout in the classroom. Allen owns a perfect 4.0 GPA while pursuing a master’s in business administration, and he earned his Baylor finance and management degree with a 3.96 GPA.
That resume has already earned him multiple national nods in 2026, including selection to the AFCA Good Works Team and semifinalist recognition for both the Wuerffel Trophy and the William V. Campbell Trophy.
The semifinalist group also includes Arion Carter of Tennessee, Matt Craycraft of Duke, Camron Cooper of UTSA, Steven Demboski of Delaware, Mark Fletcher Jr. of Miami, Bray Hubbard of Alabama, Mason Heintschel of Pittsburgh, Hero Kanu of Texas, Lawson Luckie of Georgia, Jordan Marshall of Michigan, Maddux Madsen of Boise State, Leonard Moore of Notre Dame, Colton Phares of Appalachian State, Willie Rodriguez of Kentucky, Duce Robinson of Florida State, Isaiah Shirley of North Carolina State, Jordan Shipp of North Carolina, David Stone of Oklahoma and Davis Warren of Stanford.
Three finalists will be announced Dec. 15, and the winner will be revealed March 11 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The award also includes a $10,000 contribution in the winner’s name to his school’s athletic scholarship fund through Jason Witten’s SCORE Foundation. Founded in 2007, the foundation has impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee and operates the SCOREkeepers program at nine family violence shelters in the two states.
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There was less encouraging news elsewhere, though, as Tyquan Thornton remains sidelined after ankle surgery. Even so, Baylor alums continued to show up around the league, with Josh Cameron, Terrel Bernard, James Lynch, Ross Mastick and Jon Weeks all turning in notable contributions or steady work in their respective games, a reminder that the Bears NFL pipeline still has plenty of life in it. [Read more 🡒]