Austin Allen takes a significant honor into his NFL Draft preparations.Â
The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Allen on Wednesday was named first-team all-Big Ten by the league's media.
He also was named the conference's tight end of the year.Â
He becomes the first Nebraska tight end to earn first-team all-conference honors since 2003, when Matt Herian of Pierce earned the honor.Â
A native of Aurora, Allen finished this season with school tight end records for receptions (38) and receiving yards (602).Â
He finished the season on a personal strong note, with receptions of 27 and 28 yards during Friday's 28-21 loss to Iowa. Nebraska ended the season with a 3-9 record, including 1-8 in the Big Ten.Â
Allen wound up the season with 12 receptions of longer than 20 yards. What's more, he became only the fourth Nebraska tight end to record multiple 100-yard receiving games in a season (doing so against Minnesota and Wisconsin), and the first since Tracey Wistrom in 1999.Â
Allen graduated in May of 2021 with a degree in mechanized systems management. As of last week, he was ranked as the No. 5 tight end nationally by Pro Football Focus. Although he just completed his fifth season in Nebraska's program, he had one season of eligibility remaining because of the COVID-19 eligibility freeze in collegiate athletics. But he opted last week to turn pro.Â
Wisconsin's Jake Ferguson was named first-team all-Big Ten by the league's coaches.Â
Meanwhile, Allen becomes Nebraska's first non-punter or place-kicker to be named first-team all-conference since 2014, when defensive end Randy Gregory and receiver Kenny Bell were selected.Â
Nebraska had three first-teamers in 2013, five in 2012 and four 2011.
In addition to Allen's honor, Nebraska sophomore center Cameron Jurgens was named third-team all-Big Ten by the coaches. The Beatrice native spent his true freshman season at tight end before switching to center in the spring of 2019.Â
Husker quarterback Adrian Martinez, a junior, and senior wide receiver Samori Toure earned honorable-mention honors.
Big Ten offensive awards
Offensive player of the year: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State.
Freshman of the year: Stroud, Ohio State.
Quarterback of the year: Stroud, Ohio State.
Receiver of the year: David Bell, Purdue.
Running back of the year: Kenneth Walker, Michigan State.
Tight end of the year: Austin Allen, Nebraska.
Offensive lineman of the year: Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa.
Nebraska's Austin Allen (11) tries to hold off Iowa's Kaevon Merriweather (26) before being pushed out of bounds in the fourth quarter Nov. 26 at Memorial Stadium.