Drew Allar returns as one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football.
However, according to anonymous Big Ten coaches, there is a glaring area of improvement needed for the senior to take the next step. Allar, a former five-star out of Medina, Ohio, has started every game for Penn State over the last two seasons. He put together a career in 2024, completing 66.5% of his passes for 3,327 yards with 24 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
Allar also added 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns while helping lead the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Allar could have declared for the NFL Draft, but he elected to return to State College in an effort to improve on his draft stock and help Penn State contend for a national championship.
Despite the glimpses of pro-level ability at times, Allar’s success has been reliant on Penn State’s run-first system, according to an anonymous college coach polled by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
“He knows where to go with the ball, but it didn’t seem like the quarterback was beating you,” a Big Ten defensive coordinator said via ESPN. “It was the system.”
A different coach shared a similar concern on Allar after the bulk of the Nittany Lions’ production came from Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren, who is off to the NFL.
Allar will now face the challenge of making plays without one of the best tight ends in program history. Often times, Warren would use his elite skillset to make something out of nothing whether he was open or not.
“How good is he really in the pocket, going through the progressions, processing, getting the ball from point A to point B, getting the ball to the right guy?” a Big Ten coach said. “Because he really didn’t do a lot of that in that offense.”
Concerns aside, Allar is considered to be a special talent at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the accomplished starter make improvements in his final season. “He’s an NFL talent,” an opposing coach said. “You walk up to him, he’s all of 6-5, can make every throw.” Allar and the new-look Nittany Lions will open the 2025 season at home against Nevada on Aug. 30.
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