Penn State QB Drew Allar is out for the season, coach James Franklin says
Penn State senior quarterback Drew Allar suffered an injury in the waning minutes of Saturday’s upset loss to Northwestern and will miss the rest of the season, the Nittany Lions’ head coach said after the game.
Coach James Franklin told reporters shortly after the 22-21 loss to Northwestern that Allar will not be able to play the rest of the season. Franklin did not specify the nature of the injury, but Allar was seen grabbing his lower left leg at the time of the injury and was carted to the locker room without a shoe on his left foot.
With the injury, Allar’s college career is officially over because he has no remaining eligibility. Backup Ethan Grunkemeyer, a sophomore, is expected to take over. He has 13 career passing attempts.
Allar suffered the injury as the Nittany Lions were attempting to rally from a one-point deficit in the fourth quarter. With about 3:30 left in the game, with Penn State on its own 31, Allar scrambled for a 1-yard gain on third-and-4 but did not bounce up after the play.
Two Northwestern defenders tackled him from both sides, and Allar stayed down. He immediately appeared to reach for his left ankle while trainers tended to him on the field.
Grunkemeyer ran for no gain on the next play to turn the ball over on downs. Northwestern then ran the clock out to seal the upset victory.
Allar’s Penn State career ends with almost as many “what ifs” as completions. He was touted as a potential program-changing quarterback before he even took a snap, and his big arm caused some analysts to peg him as a future first-round NFL draft pick — maybe even No. 1 overall.
He was expected to take a big step forward this season. But, to this point, his inconsistent play has been one of the major reasons for the Nittany Lions’ 3-3 overall record.
Still, the four-year starter will finish his career near the top of the school’s record books. He is fourth all-time in career passing yards (7,402), third in career passing TDs (61) and fourth in career completions (633). His 63.2% completion rate also ranks first in school history, among passers with at least 100 career attempts.
He helped guide the Nittany Lions to their first College Football Playoff game last season, when he led them to a semifinal berth. However, Allar also threw a last-second interception in the semifinal to end the season.
Penn State will next travel to Iowa City on Oct. 18 for a road game against the Hawkeyes.
This story was originally published October 11, 2025 at 7:52 PM.