Zach Wilson has firsthand knowledge of how talented Tyler Allgeier is, as the two played together at BYU from 2018 to 2020.
What Wilson — now playing quarterback for the NFL’s New York Jets — sees in his former Cougar teammate is a pro talent.
“That dude is a good player, a really good player. He’s definitely going to get his opportunity,” Wilson told reporters Friday when asked if he believes Allgeier will be playing in the NFL.
Allgeier rushed for 1,130 yards and 13 touchdowns when playing alongside Wilson in the BYU backfield last season during the Cougars’ 11-1 campaign. This year, Allgeier is on pace to surpass those numbers. He’s eighth in the country with 564 rushing yards, ninth at 112.8 rushing yards per game and tied for 13th nationally with seven rushing touchdowns.
He’s also coming off his best rushing performance as a Cougar, running for 218 yards and three touchdowns in BYU’s 34-20 win over Utah State.
Two former BYU running backs are currently on NFL rosters — Jamaal Williams is with the Detroit Lions and Ty’Son Williams is with the Baltimore Ravens.
Wilson also said he’s been keeping up with how the Cougars have been doing this season — BYU is 5-0 on the year and No. 10 in the national polls — even though the team’s late games aren’t easy to stay up for on the East Coast.
“They’ve been killing it; I’m super happy for them. My younger brother (linebacker Josh Wilson) is still with them right now,” Wilson said. “We’ve got a lot of my family running through the Cougar program right now. I hope those guys can keep going all the way, they’re fun to watch.
“It’s tough. East Coast time they play super late, so I don’t get to watch a lot of their games in the second half. They’ve been doing awesome. They’ve just gotta stay healthy.”
Wilson and the Jets are in London for their next game, where they’ll play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday morning (7:30 a.m. MDT, NFL Network). BYU, meanwhile, is hosting regional rival Boise State on Saturday afternoon (1:30 p.m., ABC) at LaVell Edwards Stadium.