Penn State strength and conditioning coach Chuck Losey on Drew Allar, freshmen and more

Drew Allar didn’t take part during Penn State’s max-out lifting session Thursday evening when the media was present, but he was still very much involved.

The quiet sophomore quarterback was there to congratulate teammates when they finished their lifts and was talking to them throughout the session. And while he wasn’t lifting Thursday, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t made progress since enrolling at Penn State in January 2022.

“Drew being at the quarterback position, you gotta have durability,” Penn State strength and conditioning coach Chuck Losey said Thursday. “That was one thing. With a tall, lean frame like Drew had when he came in, one of his main objectives was to put muscle mass on. He’s done a great job. The number doesn’t come to mind exactly how much he’s put on, but it’s in the excess of 20-25 pounds since he’s been here. And he looks great. He looks like a defensive end right now.”

The physical transition to college is important for Allar, who is widely expected to take over as the team’s starter this year, but so is the mental one.

He’s soft-spoken by nature but has needed to take a step as a leader this season. That transition was evident Thursday as he spoke to his teammates and hyped them up and it’s something Losey said he’s seen develop over the team’s past seven weeks of winter workouts.

“He’s done a good job in the sense that he’s pushed outside of his comfort zone,” Losey said. “Drew is not the loudest person you’ll ever meet. ... Just his disposition, his nature, he’s not an attention-seeking guy. He’s quiet-natured but I’ve seen him, during our workouts, during the winter workouts in the weight room, he’s put himself in uncomfortable situations to where he’s forced himself to speak up to other guys. In that sense I’m really proud of him.”

Allar is tasked with replacing former starter Sean Clifford who grew into one of the locker room’s strongest leaders in his six seasons with the program. The young quarterback will have time to fill those shoes, and he’ll need the help of teammates for the Nittany Lions to replicate the leadership from last year.

Ji’Ayir Brown — who is off to the 2023 NFL Draft — will be difficult to replace but Losey said there are already other veterans who stepped up during winter workouts.

“Keaton Ellis, he’s done a nice job of taking the reins,” Losey said. “... I think Olu Fashanu is another guy that comes to mind. He’s done an excellent job. And then just, we’ve got older guys on the offensive line. So I think the offensive line as a unit has also brought a lot of value in the leadership area.”

Freshmen making adjustment

One of the groups that benefits most from the program’s winter workouts is the incoming freshmen. There were 11 players who left high school early and enrolled with the Nittany Lions in January and they’ll have the advantage of putting in a full offseason of work with their teammates.

Losey said one of the keys with the group is putting them in position to succeed without putting pressure on themselves to be at the level of the upperclassmen on the team.

“With the way that we set up our program, I usually take those guys and put them in what we call a developmental program right off the bat,” he said. “Which I think benefits them because they don’t have to worry about seeing the older guys in the program. ... Comparisons will crush people all the time — they don’t have to worry about that stuff.”

That is made easier, according to Losey, because there’s a level of familiarity they have with the group that gives them access to all the information they need about where they need to improve.

“You’re so familiar with these guys throughout the recruiting process by the time they get here,” Losey said. “... So as far as fitting in and finding their place, they’ve all done a great job. There’s not a whole lot of hesitancy.”

Second-year skill position players

Last year’s group of early enrollees saw varying levels of results. Players like running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are the perfect example of players coming in from different situations but still contributing.

Singleton came with years of weight training experience at the highest levels, while Allen did not have that extensive background. Both put the work in early and found their way onto the field with big roles in the 2022 season despite being at different starting points.

“Both of them have done a phenomenal job,” Losey said. “Nick, this is his thing. He’s a speed, strength, power athlete all the way. Kaytron, even though he didn’t have a background as extensive as Nick’s when he got here, Kaytron has thrived in our system. You can see the body change he’s gone through ever since he got on campus.”

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kaden Saunders was an example of a player who had all of the talent in the world coming in last January, but had to adjust his work ethic.

He’s a player Losey said has made the turn after not being where the team wanted him physically last year.

“One of his biggest goals when he first got here, that we addressed early, was he was — and he knows this — he was too big,” he said. “He was overweight for his body composition. So we’ve been whittling away at his body composition for the past year. He’s completely changed his body. He looks lean. He’s getting stronger. I think with that confidence he’s a different player right now than what he was certainly this time last year.”

Quick hitters

• Losey praised CB Storm Duck and WR Malik McClain, who transferred in this January from North Carolina and Florida State, respectively.
• He said one of the most unique things about DT Zane Durant is the energy he brings to the room.

Here are more photos from Thursday’s lifting session:

This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 9:06 PM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.