Whether or not he wins the Buffalo Bills their first Super Bowl, Josh Allen has cemented himself as a legend in Western New York.
Before he arrived in Buffalo, though, Allen was a fan favorite on the other side of the country, where he played college football in the Mountain West Conference and emerged as a first-round NFL Draft prospect.
Allen didn’t light up the stat sheet in college, but his eye-popping combination of size and arm strength made him one of the most intriguing players in the country during his amateur days.
Here’s a look back at Allen’s college career.
MORE 2026 NFL PLAYOFFS:
- Full NFL playoff schedule
- NFL divisional round picks, predictions
- Updated NFL playoff bracket
- Ranking eight teams remaining in 2026 NFL playoffs
- NFL divisional round picks against the spread
Where did Josh Allen go to college?
Allen spent most of his college days at Wyoming, serving as the Cowboys’ starter for two seasons in the Mountain West after transferring from Reedley College at the junior college level.
Allen grew up in a rural area of Central California but went farther north and west when Wyoming gave him the opportunity to join the program and compete.
It wouldn’t be fair to say Allen was one of the nation’s best players at Wyoming, despite emerging as one of the NFL’s best players. He led the Cowboys to a pair of solid eight-win seasons, leading the conference in both touchdowns and interceptions in 2016 before regressing from a statistical perspective in 2017.
Accuracy was a concern for Allen at Wyoming, as he completed about 56 percent of his passes in each of his two seasons as a starter. He threw five interceptions in a 52-17 loss to Nebraska in his second career start, though he had Wyoming playing for a Mountain West title by the end of the 2016 season and cut back on turnovers in 2017.
Here’s what you need to know about Allen’s stats from his time at Wyoming.
MORE: Bills WR depth chart, free agent options amid injuries
Josh Allen college stats
| Season | Comp. Rate | Yards | TD | INT | Rush yards | Rush TD |
| 2015 | 66.7% | 51 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| 2016 | 56.0% | 3,203 | 28 | 15 | 523 | 7 |
| 2017 | 56.3% | 1,812 | 16 | 6 | 204 | 5 |
| Career | 56.2% | 5,066 | 44 | 21 | 767 | 12 |
Allen accounted for 35 touchdowns and 15 interceptions over 14 games in his first season as Wyoming's starter, but he threw for only 1,812 yards and 16 touchdowns across 11 starts in 2017.
Still, Allen's booming arm and combination of size and athleticism made him an intriguing project for NFL teams. The Bills are certainly glad they took a chance on that project, as they developed Allen into an MVP.
MORE: 3 reasons why Bills passed their toughest AFC test vs. Jaguars
Josh Allen college highlights
Allen showcased plenty of the good and bad in a 2016 Poinsettia Bowl loss to BYU:
Allen accounted for five touchdowns in a 2016 win over Utah State:
Here are some of Allen's best moments from the 2017 season:
MORE: Updated 2026 NFL mock draft
When was Josh Allen drafted?
The Bills selected Allen seventh overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Allen was the third quarterback off the board behind Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. He was the third of five quarterbacks selected in the first round, with the Arizona Cardinals taking Josh Rosen at No. 10 overall and the Baltimore Ravens snagging Lamar Jackson at No. 32 overall.
Allen didn't necessarily have the eye-popping numbers some of his first-round counterparts did in college, but given the importance of the quarterback position, some teams were willing to overlook the accuracy concerns and bet on his combination of arm strength, size and athleticism.
After the quarterback-needy Denver Broncos passed on Allen at No. 5 overall, the Bills were able to take their shot with the No. 7 pick and land their franchise quarterback.