Drew Allar quietly, confidently shows he’s the future of Penn State football in win over Ohio
Drew Allar walked toward the Penn State student section to sing the alma mater with his helmet on. The freshman quarterback’s eyes peeked out from behind his facemask with his chinstrap covering the smile underneath. For just a moment, the grin poked out as he removed his helmet to sway alongside his teammates and sing. But it quickly subsided, a stoic look replacing it.
Allar sang and swung, earnestly keeping his eyes forward.
But the freshman had all the reason in the world to show the joy he seemed to be trying to hide.
He put together a terrific performance Saturday for the second week in a row as he continues to make his case as the future of Penn State football — and maybe even the present.
Allar’s calm demeanor carried throughout his team’s postgame celebration. He walked throughout the horde of teammates, opponents, photographers and coaches with the same calmness he displayed on the field just an hour prior after taking over for Sean Clifford at quarterback.
His play was part of the plan for the Nittany Lions, with head coach James Franklin saying he wanted Allar to get in during the second and third quarter but ultimately waiting until the latter. The freshman delivered, completing six of his eight passing attempts for 88 yards and two touchdowns, wowing the crowd — and everyone else — with his poise and his arm talent.
“I think the biggest thing that I think jumps out to everybody is that he’s just super poised in there,” Franklin said. “For a young kid, the game seems slow to him already. I think he’s doing a really good job from a preparation standpoint.”
Teammates have come to know Allar’s hushed way of going about his preparation.
When he’s doing that work, he’s not saying much. His teammates aren’t shy about his success, however. Safety and team captain Ji’Ayir Brown was informed that most of the media would likely be writing about the freshman quarterback and his response was quick.
“You should,” Brown said with a smile. “Poise, that guy, he don’t do much talking. He’ll speak when spoken to. Very respectful, very kind. Only time you’ll hear Drew yell is when you hear him make the checks and do all that stuff. ... He has a great personality, he’s a fun kid. Doesn’t have an angry bone in his body but he does show up when you need him to show up.”
Sometimes there isn’t much need for Allar to make his own voice heard. He doesn’t have to say anything when he’s lofting a perfectly placed deep ball to Omari Evans for a 32-yard touchdown, or when he hits Khalil Dinkins for a 28-yard touchdown after escaping pressure.
He may not be speaking much, but the crowd spoke for him in those moments. Their roars as each pass fell perfectly into their receivers’ hands. The change in energy felt throughout the stadium as he entered the game with 11:33 left in the third quarter.
Allar may not make a start this season for Penn State. His teammates didn’t do much to give away a preference between either quarterback. Wallace said Allar’s ball has more zip on it when he throws it, but applauded both. Parker Washington said he’s proud of both quarterbacks and was grateful he was capable of catching at least one pass from each in the game.
But there isn’t much else to glean from what his teammates said postgame. Although they all made sure to note they were proud of their young teammate for coming in and doing what he did — especially Clifford. The senior quarterback admitted he wanted to play as much as possible in his final year, but is happy to help push the program further along.
“If it means giving up some time to get guys prepared, I want to win more than anything,” Clifford said. “I have no ego in that. The only thing that matters to me is winning football games. And I know how important it is to get those guys reps. If anything happens to me, I want to win games. That’s all that matters. ... I’m just super proud of our room because I think we handle everything pretty well.”
The pride from his teammates seemed sincere. Smiles from Brown and Wallace tell the tale of teammates who know they’re seeing something special. The future of Penn State football is brighter than it has been in recent years. The program searched high and low for an avenue to reach the next level. Few solutions are a panacea, but an elite quarterback can be one of them.
And now the Nittany Lions might have one.
As Allar had walked across the field and made his way to the student section, there was a coach awaiting his arrival. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich gave his freshman quarterback a low five as they crossed paths, with very few words shared.
There wasn’t much need for speaking.
Allar had just spent the day letting his play do the talking.
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 6:46 PM.
