Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen reunited with former Reedley College coach Randy Whited before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders. (Image via Getty)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was heading toward the locker room before Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders when a familiar whistle caught his attention. He turned toward the sideline and recognized a man he hadn't seen in 12 years: Randy Whited, his former junior college football coach.The reunion took place at Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 18, shortly before Buffalo's 33-30 victory. Whited had traveled to Las Vegas expecting to watch his former quarterback play. Instead, a friend's surprise arrangement brought him face-to-face with the player whose NFL future he had predicted back in 2014.
Who was the man who made Josh Allen turn around with a single whistle?
Whited coached Allen at Reedley College in California, where the quarterback spent the 2014 season before transferring to Wyoming.
The two had not met in person since Allen's freshman year.According to Mike Maynard of the Buffalo Bills' official website, Whited traveled to Las Vegas with family and friends to see Allen play. He learned only a day before the game that someone had arranged a pregame meeting on the sideline.Whited initially hoped to catch Allen's attention and exchange a wave. The surprise meeting gave him considerably more than he had expected.
As Allen finished warming up and walked toward the locker room, Whited used a sound he knew his former quarterback would recognize."I just whistled, and I know he'd heard it before," Whited told Maynard.Allen immediately turned, spotted his former coach and jogged over to embrace him. The pair briefly caught up, with Whited congratulating Allen on his family before sending him back to prepare for the game.The moment carried additional meaning for Whited, who retired from coaching in 2016.
He had followed Allen's career on television for years, watching his former junior college quarterback become one of the NFL's leading players.Whited also recalled an earlier encounter between Allen and his son at a Topgolf venue. Allen recognized his former coach's son and asked whether Whited was still spending time bass fishing.That interaction reinforced what Whited noticed during Sunday's reunion. Despite Allen's accomplishments, his former coach believed the quarterback still carried the same personality he remembered from Reedley.Allen's physical development was harder to miss. He stood 6-foot-3 and weighed 205 pounds during his junior college days. The Bills now list him at 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds.For Whited, seeing that difference in person after 12 years offered another reminder of how far Allen had progressed.
How did Randy Whited know Josh Allen would become an NFL quarterback before anyone drafted him?
Whited's confidence in Allen began during the 2014 season, long before the Buffalo Bills selected the quarterback with the No.
7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.Allen entered Reedley College's third game of that season at halftime. His performance persuaded Whited to keep him in the starting role.After reviewing footage from Allen's early appearances, Whited told his coaching staff that they were watching a future NFL player."He's going to be playing on Sundays," Whited recalled telling his assistants.Allen went on to account for 27 touchdowns during his lone season at Reedley before earning an opportunity at Wyoming.
His eventual rise to the NFL validated the assessment Whited had made years earlier.The former coach also recalled speaking with Wyoming's coaches and NFL scouts about Allen's potential. He believed the quarterback possessed instincts and competitive qualities that could not simply be taught.
Allen's subsequent career gave Whited plenty to follow. He became Buffalo's franchise quarterback, won the NFL MVP award and helped lead the Bills to repeated playoff appearances.Reedley College recognized his accomplishments by inducting him into its Hall of Fame on Sept. 19, 2026.Sunday offered another significant moment. Allen completed 23 of 33 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders, helping Buffalo improve to 5-1 heading into its Week 7 bye.The Bills will return against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 1, with Allen continuing his pursuit of the franchise's first Super Bowl victory.For Whited, the reunion brought him back to the quarterback he first coached as a teenager. Allen had reached the NFL stage his coach once predicted, and Whited was finally able to congratulate him in person.