For a player who spent all of high school as a running back in a Wing-T offense, Brycen Alleyne had to make a big adjustment to playing wide receiver. So far this season he has 10 catches for 97 yards. (Delaware State News file photo)

DOVER — Brycen Alleyne sat in the car on the way back from his visit to Kutztown University hoping he would receive an offer.

That’s when his phone rang.

It wasn’t Kutztown. It was new Delaware State football coach Kenny Carter.

On the Sunday before National Signing Day, Alleyne drove straight down to Delaware State to meet Carter and was offered a scholarship on the spot. Alleyne committed right then and there.

The offer from Kutztown never came.

Not that Alleyne cares. Here he is playing Division I football, something that didn’t seem possible with just three days left in the recruiting season for the Concord High graduate.

“Recruiting was slow,” Alleyne said. “It was a blessing. I worked all of high school to make sure I could get this. I can take pride in staying in Delaware and representing Delaware. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”

The only person happier than Alleyne might be Carter.

Carter took a chance on the 5-foot-7, 170-pound running back. Alleyne has been one of the bright spots for the Hornets (0-8) and is coming off his first start of his career, where he scored a pair of touchdowns against Bethune-Cookman last Saturday.

“Brycen will be the face of this program,” Carter said. “Brycen is a joy. He has a lot of life, he’s got a very high football IQ and he is very athletic.

“As he continues to develop and get better over time, he will be a player in this league that everybody will have to worry about. We are very, very excited about him. He really rejuvenates us on offense and gives us a chance.”

Alleyne’s size is the reason DSU was his only Division I offer.

The rest of his high school resume stood out to Carter. Alleyne was a member of the DIFCA All-State Second Team, scored 21 touchdowns and tallied 2,200 all-purpose yards as a senior at Concord.

“A lot of the high school coaches in the state felt like he was probably one of the top two players in the state,” Carter said. “The only thing that really was his knock was his size, and quite frankly, I didn’t worry about that. I think that Darren Sproles (of the Philadelphia Eagles) has proven that little guys can get it done.”

Alleyne has heard people criticize his size for his entire football career.

“I feel like I don’t play like my size is a defect on me,” Alleyne said. “It did play a big part in my recruiting but my goal was to play Division I football and I’m here. I’ve been dealing with my size all my life. So I know how to overcome it.”

Alleyne first broke into the Hornet lineup as a slot receiver and as one of the primary kick returners.

For a player who spent all of high school as a running back in a Wing-T offense, Alleyne had to make a big adjustment to playing wide receiver. So far this season he has 10 catches for 97 yards.

Alleyne received 19 carries last week as the lead back in DSU’s offense, but the Hornets are still planning to line him up all over the field on offense.

“I’m fine with both parts,” Alleyne said. “They coaches have taught me well and I know I’m coming into my own.”

And Carter knows Alleyne can catch the ball.

Over the summer Alleyne joined a social media craze and made a slow-motion video of him doing a backflip and catching a ball with one hand. He sent the video to Carter, who posted it on Twitter and still shows it to people whenever he gets a chance.

“When you see a kid do a flip and catch a football, that’s pretty cool,” Carter said.

“It was all over so I was like why not do it?” Alleyne said.“I know how to flip so I thought I do it. It was everywhere. Coach Carter tells everyone about it.”

Of course, Carter plans to talk a lot about Alleyne for the next three years.