Most Penn State fans probably wouldn’t have imagined Drew Allar would be in Happy Valley come 2025.
Allar, the No. 1 QB in the country coming out of high school, was thought by many to be a future high-end first-round pick.
That may indeed be the case, and it could have even been the case had Allar declared for the draft after last season.
But Allar decided to come back, and in doing so, he forgoes an NFL payday for another year. With that said, he’s returning to a team that is good enough to win the whole thing.
Penn State can’t win the whole thing without Allar.
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 238 pounds
Hometown: Medina, Ohio
Before Penn State: A five-star quarterback, Allar went from a solid recruit to one who many see as a “can’t miss” prospect in his senior year.
Allar’s 2021 numbers are ridiculous; 4,444 yards, 48 touchdowns and a 60-percent completion rate, leading Medina to a 13-1 record and berth in the state quarterfinals.
Allar committed to Penn State before his great senior season, and by the time he signed, any Penn State fan with any interest in recruiting knew his name. 247Sports’ site rankings had Allar as a five-star recruit, the No. 1 quarterback in the country and the No. 3 overall player from the class of 2022.
2022: Allar made an unexpected debut in Penn State’a season opener at Purdue, relieving Sean Clifford for a series. Allar went 2-for-4 with 26 yards. He made his Beaver Stadium debut the next weekend against Ohio, throwing his first two touchdown passes. Allar ended up appearing in 10 of Penn State’s 13 games, going 35-for-60 with 344 yards and four touchdowns.
2023: Allar’s first season as starter was a success for the most part. He ended the year completing nearly 60% of his passes, throwing for 2,631 yards and having an outstanding 25-2 TD/INT ratio. But when the lights were the brightest— at Ohio State and against Michigan at home— Allar didn’t deliver. He went 18-42 against Ohio State and threw for a paltry 70 yards against Michigan. Penn State lost both those games and thus didn’t make the College Football Playoff. Rightly or wrongly, that’s what plenty of people remember the most.
Last year: Things were different last season, yet they weren’t. This time, Allar and Penn State made the Playoff and advanced to the semifinal.
But… Allar didn’t vanquish his big-game demons.
Against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl/College Football Playoff semifinal, Allar threw a costly pick that led to the game-winning field goal which ended Penn State’s season.
Where he stands: Allar has all the physical tools and has proven enough against teams that are worse than Penn State— which is almost everybody PSU plays. All there’s left to do is come through when it matters most. Fortunately for Allar, he know has what he lacked in his first two years as starter— a good receiving corps. Trebor Pena (Syracuse), Devonte Ross (Troy) and Kyron Hudson (USC) all came in from the transfer portal.
All three are polished, with Ross going for more than 1,000 yards last year and Pena coming close to it.
So it will be hard to blame Penn State’s receivers— which didn’t catch a single ball in the Orange Bowl— if the team falls short.
A quote by Allar: “I have a lot of goals that I had for myself. My biggest was, I mean, honestly, consistency, just with everything I do. Between routine, before practice, post-practice and just the way I operate throughout practice. I think I’ve done a good job of that so far. I’m always trying to continue to build my leadership vocally and just doing what I can to put myself in uncomfortable sports to be able to grow more. I think I’ve done a good job with that so far andit’s something that I’m always going to keep grinding at just because it doesn’t come naturally to me at times. So, you know, just keep trying to better myself through those kinds of things. So there’s a lot of things that I’ve been proud of throughout this spring cycle. But I’m excited to rewatch all this spring after it’s done and also learn what I need to get better at after this summer and fall camp.” — Drew Allar on his goals for spring practice
A quote about Allar: “They’re human beings. Failing on such a big stage in a big spotlight, it’s humbling. But it puts a chip on their shoulder going into this offseason in terms of, ‘We’re that close.’ It’s those little gains that will get us over the hump.” — QB coach Danny O’Brien on Drew Allar
