'He was so slow in high school': Bills QB who received zero scholarship offers just shattered NFL's all-time rushing touchdown record

Josh Allen just made NFL history. The Bills quarterback broke the all-time record for rushing touchdowns by a QB. He scored his 76th career rushing touchdown with an 8-yard run against the Steelers, passing Cam Newton’s old record of 75. This is a huge achievement for any quarterback, especially one who can also throw the ball really well.

What makes this even more impressive is how fast Allen reached this milestone. He needed only 121 games to score 76 rushing touchdowns. According to Sports Illustrated, Newton took 145 games to reach 75. That shows how much the Bills use Allen’s running ability near the goal line.

Allen isn’t just beating other quarterbacks. He’s now one of only four players in NFL history to rush for at least six touchdowns in each of his first eight seasons. The other three are all Hall of Fame running backs: Jim Brown, Marshall Faulk, and LaDainian Tomlinson. Being mentioned with those names as a quarterback shows how special Allen really is.

His high school coach didn’t think he could run at all

The best part of this story is where Allen started. He was the No. 7 pick in the 2018 draft, but coming out of high school, he got zero scholarship offers. Even more shocking is that nobody thought he could run back then.

His former assistant coach at Firebaugh High School and Reedley College, Aaron Wilkins, recently talked  about Allen’s change. Wilkins said, “He couldn’t run [in high school]. I don’t know where he got his legs.” Allen himself said that he was “so slow” during his high school years. Allen’s performance has been so impressive that fans can now track his stats with real-time player ratings in popular football simulations.

Allen’s running skills showed up quickly in the NFL. By his third NFL start, which was also his first win, he beat the Vikings mostly by running. That game included the famous moment when he jumped over Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr. He also rushed for two touchdowns in that game.

Since that Week 3 start in 2018, Allen has been a constant threat with his legs. He’s rushed for at least 10 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons. In 2023, he tied the single-season rushing touchdown record for a quarterback with 15 scores on the ground. Meanwhile, some NFL executives have been suggesting bizarre solutions for struggling teams, showing how competitive the league has become.

Allen currently ranks sixth all-time in rushing yards for quarterbacks with 4,493 yards. He’s behind names like Randall Cunningham, Russell Wilson, Michael Vick, and Cam Newton. His 2018 draft classmate, Lamar Jackson, leads all quarterbacks with 6,399 rushing yards. But when it comes to finding the end zone, nobody does it better than Allen.