Geronimo John Allison (born January 18, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois, and was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. After four seasons with the Packers, he joined the Lions in 2020.
Early life
In an interview with The News-Gazette, Allison said his mother Melissa Glover gave him his first name because she wanted to give him "a unique name." He credits his mother with instilling his religious faith, which he expresses in post-game prayers with opponents and teammates at midfield.
Allison attended Spoto High School in Riverview, Florida. He was academically ineligible his sophomore and junior years, but worked in private classes with the coach's wife Anne Caparaso to improve his grades and had a successful senior season.
College career
Due to his academic struggles in high school, Allison began college at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He proved a bright student, finishing an associate degree in just three semesters; he also led the team to a 22–1 record in two seasons, an NJCAA title, and led the conference in receptions, yards, and touchdowns his second year.
Allison transferred to the University of Illinois, where he played for the Fighting Illini in 2014 and 2015. His junior year, he was usually the second option to freshman star Mike Dudek, though he caught five touchdowns to Dudek's six for the 6–7 Illini. In week 3, he had a career-high six receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a lopsided loss to Washington. Allison took over the top spot his senior year, replacing the injured Dudek for 882 yards but only three touchdowns during the 5–7 campaign. He had over 90 yards receiving in five of the first seven games, but five or fewer receptions in the final five games of the season. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention, and won the team's Service Above Self award.
2016-2019 |
2020-2021 |
2022 |