Penn State’s Drew Allar won’t play at Senior Day. But he’s still leaving his mark
Drew Allar smiled as he spoke, but it was clear that the thought of the Northwestern game — and that weekend — was still bothering him.
“Honestly, probably one of the worst weekends of my life,” Allar said.
Allar spoke to the media Thursday afternoon for the first time since he suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Wildcats, and lamented how that weekend changed everything for the Nittany Lions. His injury sealed the loss — one that changed the direction of Penn State football.
And now Allar has to move forward with the next stage of his life far earlier than he expected.
Then-head coach James Franklin left the field that night without talking to PSU AD Pat Kraft, and was fired the next day. The team lost its next three games and was left without answers for a way to fix things.
All while Allar underwent surgery and watched from the sideline as he worked through his recovery.
“It’s definitely a different perspective,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of talks with coaches and, really, trainers about it, and even players, honestly. ... Because my freshman year, I wasn’t really playing, but at least I was the backup, so I had a playing mindset.
“Obviously now I don’t really — I can’t really have a playing mindset as much as I want to have a playing mindset. ... Really just kind of tried to take this time to grow mentally and get physically right again. But it’s been unique. Obviously, I didn’t picture myself being in this position, but just trying to make the most of it.”
Allar is trying to make the most of what has been a difficult situation. He was supposed to be the quarterback to lead Penn State to the promised land — the five-star recruit who came back for his senior year in pursuit of a national title. He will not get the opportunity to hoist that trophy, or to play in his Senior Day game. But he has made an impact.
Interim head coach Terry Smith has seen it throughout Allar’s career, but what he’s done recently has been even more noticeable.
“He’s done for the year. He could easily detach from this team,” Smith said Monday. “He’s at every meeting. He’s at every practice and he travels with us on the road. That’s true leadership. He’s been very special for us. He’s been a great role model and resource to Grunk. He’s leaving his mark on us in a different way and is super positive. I’m thankful that he’s still around and with us. “
Allar has stayed close to the program in his time away, and has stayed just as close with the head coach who brought him to Happy Valley. Allar spent just over three seasons playing for Franklin — two-plus as a starter — and was supposed to be alongside him as they made another run in the College Football Playoff. They already did it once, coming a play or two away from the national title game last year, and were set to do it again.
But then Allar got hurt and Franklin got fired — it still hasn’t changed how close they are.
Allar said he remains in touch with his former head coach.
“I have a great relationship with Coach Franklin. I probably talked to him every other day, really, since — I guess we’ve both been done,” Allar said. “Very excited for him. He’s gonna do a great job at Virginia Tech. I think it’s a great spot for him. I’m very excited to see what he does. Very happy for him and his family. They’ve done a great amount for me and my teammates.”
And like Frankllin, Allar will have to move forward from a season that has gone in a way that he never anticipated. He will be there on Saturday against Nebraska for his Senior Day, but he won’t get to play. He won’t take the field in the postseason, and he’ll never play for Penn State again.
But he will move on. He is working through his recovery as he begins his preparation for the 2026 NFL Draft. He wasn’t ready to say which parts of the draft process he’ll participate in — if any. But he will still go through interviews and discussions with teams. And then in late April he’ll be able to move on to what’s next, with the hope that it will be better than what this year was.
