He attended Jefferson High School in Portland where he excelled in football.
Allen chose to enroll at Oregon State University where he played linebacker under coach Dennis Erickson from 1997 to 2001.
He was an integral member of the 2000 Beaver team that beat Notre Dame 41–9 in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl and finished 4th in the final AP poll.
Allen was selected in the 3rd round (82nd overall) in the 2002 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints.
This biographical article relating to an American football linebacker born in the 1970s is a stub.