Ayden Eberhardt isn't the least bit surprised that Josh Allen has developed into one of the NFL's top quarterbacks.
Long before Allen led the Buffalo Bills to dominance in the AFC East, he spent three years (2015-17) at Wyoming, where he and Eberhardt were teammates for two years. The six-foot-one, 200-pound Eberhardt is in his third season as a receiver with the CFL's B.C. Lions.
And it didn't take Eberhardt — a former high school quarterback — long to understand Allen was different.
"The first time I got there, we were just warming up," Eberhardt said. "And after about 10 minutes I look up and he's like 80 yards down the field flicking the ball to me.
"I was like, 'What? This is crazy. College is unreal. I knew the quarterbacks were good but, damn!' Arm talent, playmaking ability, leadership, he has it all so its been really cool to see him do his thing in Buffalo."
Buffalo selected the six-foot-five, 237-pound Allen in the first round, No. 7 overall, of the 2018 NFL draft and he became the starter the following season. Allen has led the Bills to six playoff appearances, five straight AFC titles and two conference championship appearances.
Allen's best passing season with Buffalo came in 2020 when he threw for 4,544 yards with 37 touchdowns. But he was named the NFL MVP last season after recording 3,731 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions while running for 531 yards (5.2-yard average) and 12 touchdowns in leading the Bills to a 13-4 regular-season mark.
Buffalo dispatched Denver (31-7) and Baltimore (27-25) in the playoffs before losing a heartbreaking 32-29 decision to Kansas City in the AFC championship game.
Unlike his college days, Allen has shown a deft passing touch with Buffalo. He enters the '25 campaign with a career 63.3 passing percentage with 195 TDs and 84 interceptions. He has also run for 4,142 yards (5.5-yard average) and 65 touchdowns.
Allen completed 365-of-649 passes (56.2 per cent) for 5,066 yards with 44 TDs and 21 interceptions over 27 games at Wyoming. The 29-year-old California native also ran 237 times for 767 yards (3.2-yard average) with 12 TDs.
"The Josh Allen you see now is the Josh Allen I've always known," Eberhardt said. "His work ethic is probably what I'd credit his NFL success to and everything that's come with it.
"At the end of the day, the guy just wants to win and he's going to do anything and everything he can to do that. In college, he showed flashes of these crazy plays of hurdling someone or running around and making a ridiculous throw right on the money."
Allen's humility is also something that endears him to his teammates, Eberhardt said.
"He's a great dude, on and off the field," he said. "Obviously his success in the NFL is awesome to see because he's such a great guy.
"And you can't help but root for people like that, you love to see it."
Eberhardt appeared in 42 games over five seasons (2017-21) at Wyoming — he redshirted in 2016. Eberhardt recorded 50 catches for 764 yards and two TDs while adding 14 special-teams tackles at the school and was named to the All-Mountain West Athletic team in his senior season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
