If Penn State’s going to make a critical run in 2025, it begins with Drew Allar. And James Franklin made it clear at Large Ten Media Days—he’s happy with the quarterback Allar has change into.
“Drew has made large progress each single 12 months,” Franklin mentioned. “All the way in which again to recruiting.”
It’s straightforward to overlook now, however Allar wasn’t at all times a blue-chip title. “After we first began recruiting, he was a three-star recruit. Type of a throwback recruit,” Franklin mentioned. “He stored getting higher, stored transferring up the charts.” Ultimately, he was ranked as the highest quarterback within the nation.
Since stepping on campus, Allar’s rise hasn’t slowed. He sat behind an NFL-caliber QB as a freshman, realized the ropes, after which took management of the offense. And now, going into his third 12 months because the starter, he’s the face of a program with championship-level expectations.
“He’s now 6’5”, 235 kilos, could make each throw on the sphere, has proven that he can harm folks along with his ft,” Franklin mentioned. “And he’s made large strides as a pacesetter.”
That management piece is what separates Allar. Franklin praised the way in which he’s raised the usual—not only for himself, however for the workforce. “He’s prepared to have robust conversations along with his teammates,” he mentioned.
And Allar didn’t simply flirt with the concept of the NFL after final season. Most individuals had him pegged as a first-round draft decide. He got here again anyway. “Unfinished enterprise,” Franklin referred to as it. Each for Allar personally and for the workforce.
That selection speaks volumes. Not each participant projected within the first spherical decides to return. However Allar is betting on himself, his teammates, and the larger image in Completely satisfied Valley.
“I’m an enormous Drew fan,” Franklin mentioned. “You guys get an opportunity to get round him, you’ll really feel the identical means.”
Franklin emphasised that Allar represents the whole lot Penn State soccer stands for. “It’s workforce, workforce, workforce. It’s neighborhood. It’s Penn State,” he mentioned. “He does issues the proper means.”
The numbers again it up. Allar is considered one of solely two FBS quarterbacks since 1956 with over 800 completions, 50 touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions. That’s elite effectivity—and it’s why he’s again to chase a title.
With Drew Allar on the helm, Penn State has a gradual chief who’s matured on and off the sphere. His poise, arm expertise, and presence within the locker room make him one of the vital helpful gamers in school soccer heading into the autumn.
Franklin isn’t simply hoping for greatness—he’s anticipating it. And if Allar takes one other leap in 2025, he simply would possibly carry the Nittany Lions all the way in which to the highest.
