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Can LeQuint Allen's resilience inspire his team to new heights this season?

When pain changes in power, the unthinkable happens. LeQuint Allen’s meteoric rise into the trajectory of the CBF kind of justified this popular narrative. Syracuse’s recent sloppy win against Holy Cross owed a lot to the standout Running Back Allen. The 20-year-old captured all the eyeballs running for 81 yards and an impressive touchdown on 16 carries. The man almost single-handedly carried the offense to avoid a close loss.

Although, throughout the season, Allen wasn’t used as much as he was capable of, he is living up to his big vision for the year 2024 after the banger last season. But if you take time to look beyond all the glaring spotlight upon the RB, you might sense a layer of deep and delicate gloom that he shrewdly hides under a confident smile. Well, you can’t blame him. After all, the hapless son of a slaughtered dad has no other option left.

LeQuint Allen’s darkest tragedy in life: Explained

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”I am just getting better every day, not thinking about the yesterday mindset”: the on-field mantra of the young star might not apply to the most tragic ‘yesterday’ of his life that took his dad away from him for good. The Millville-born was a father’s boy throughout his teen years. Just like any other supportive father, LeQuint Allen Sr. tried to show up for his beloved son. From endorsing Allen’s unprecedented football quench to becoming his impromptu advisor before every game, a father-son fairytale cropped up. But since destiny doesn’t have a happy ending planned for every fairytale, a tragedy takes over.

On a pleasant February evening last year, Allen, Sr., 42, was busy spending quality time at his girlfriend’s home in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Little did he know that he had a few minutes left in his hand. In the darkest and creepiest course of events, an acquaintance entered the place and laid him dead with multiple gunshots. While the exact reason is still unknown, it might be related to some personal grudges.

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The news hit the Spring camp of Syracuse, where son Allen Jr. might have found the sky jumping out on his head. The sudden attack of shock and melancholy might get settled with time, and a son’s silent promise to his father to carry forward the legacy came to the forefront.

LeQuint resembles the phoenix rising from the ashes of a deep melancholy 

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Can LeQuint Allen's resilience inspire his team to new heights this season?

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LeQuint has had his world turned upside down with the brutal demise of his father, and guess what? It was not the only downturn he was dealing with back then. Just a few days ahead of the biggest catastrophe of the RB’s life, he came to know that he was under investigation by SU’s Office of Community Standards for an on-campus altercation that took place on December 11, 2022. Consequently, within six months, Allen Jr. received a suspension notice from Syracuse University, likely barring him for the season of 2023.

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However, after a lengthy suing procedure and the settlement, LeQuint Allen returned to his boots and suited up for the Orange in their season opener against Colgate. The comeback might look like an Avengers superhero’s larger-than-life anecdote, but in reality, the superpower was his dad’s lesson.

Allen Sr. always told his son to focus on his dreams over any distraction in his path, and in this way, he’d ”overcome everything”.  ”Just being raised by him, I already know the dos and don’ts and stuff like that. He was a role model,” a proud son uttered, holding onto the dream to let his father see the height of his success that he always dreamt of seeing, even if it was from the other side of the world.