Falcons rookie Tyler Allgeier is first BYU RB with 1,000 rushing yards

As someone who has grown up in Utah surrounded by crazed BYU fans, this came as a bit of a shock. The Atlanta Falcons 2022 fifth-round pick, Tyler Allgeier, has become the first BYU running back to hit the famed 1,000 rushing yard mark in an NFL season.

Oh, and he did it as a rookie. Who would have ever thought that going into the season? He has been getting better and better and his future is blindingly bright.

Falcons rookie RB Tyler Allgeier became the first BYU 1k rusher in the NFL

As a fifth-round pick, not many people, including us Atlanta Falcons fans or even BYU fans, ever imagined that Tyler Allgeier would carry the ball for over 1,000 rushing yards in his rookie season becoming the first-ever former BYU Cougar to do so, but here we are.

It is surprising that he has become the first NFL 1,000-yard rusher who came out of BYU. Sure, BYU may not be the biggest school or the most famed school, but make no mistake about it, they have had some great players at the NFL level with guys like Steve Young, Chad Lewis, Jim McMahon, and Fred Warner.

Yes, I know none of those guys played running back but there have been so many players over the years that have hit 1k rushing yards in a season and it would be easy to assume that at least one of them would have played at BYU, but apparently not. Tyler Allgeier will always be considered the first.

The funny thing about all of this is that while Allgeier was the first one to break that mark, he was the only one to do so for about five hours. Jamaal Williams went into Sunday with 994 rushing yards and ended his season with 1,066. Williams was drafted out of BYU in 2017

Not only did Williams do that, but he also broke the Lions’ single-season rushing touchdown record as he broke the Packers’ (who drafted him) playoff hopes. That record was held by a guy named Barry Sanders.

But, back to Allgeier; he also broke the rookie rushing record for the Atlanta Falcons which was held by William Andrews going into Sunday. Pretty good for a guy who was a walk-on working at Walmart and who also was converted to linebacker at one point.

He has become a fan favorite and many of us are already itching to see him on the field again but we will have to wait about seven months for that, unfortunately.