Penn State football: ESPN has interesting take on Drew Allar

For years, the Drew Allar era was anticipated by Penn State football fans all over the nation as being the period that would change things — gone would be the days of 10-2, and here would be playoff runs and conference championships. Yet, in 2023, the Nittany Lions fell to 10-2 once again before dropping the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss in December. That said, with a lot of changes in 2024, ESPN has ranked Penn State’s rising junior quarterback as the most interesting QB in the nation.

Drew Allar chucked it deep, and Penn State now leads 31-24.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith now has six grabs for 96 yards and a score.

pic.twitter.com/kl5wZs60IJ

— Alex Rocco (@AlexRocco13_) October 28, 2023

Penn State football quarterback ranked ‘most interesting QB’ by ESPN

ESPN writer Bill Connelly, a very well-known and respected name in the business of sports writing, ranked 10 of the country’s most interesting quarterbacks heading into the 2024 season; Penn State football standout Drew Allar graced the list at No. 1. Why? Well, once again, the Nittany Lions are poised to make a run at the Big Ten title and perhaps even the new 12-team College Football Playoff — an expansion that should help Penn State’s odds after missing out on all 10 of the four-team playoff fields from 2014 through 2023.

“Michigan is off the schedule in 2024, Ohio State has to visit State College, and coach James Franklin brought in celebrated Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to jazz things up,” writes ESPN. “If Kotelnicki can figure out how to engineer a few more successful deep shots, that could go a long way toward landing a bid in the newly expanded CFP. Even if Allar can throw the ball over the moon, that didn’t translate into downfield connections.”

Drew Allar in a 38-15 win vs. West Virginia : 21/29 for 325 yards, 3 TD's & a 200.7 QB Rating (1st career CFB start)
KeAndre Lambert-Smith : 4 catches for 123 yards & 2 TD's on 7 targets pic.twitter.com/0Y6jLyDZBm

— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) September 3, 2023

Time for Drew Allar to shine as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback

By no means was Drew Allar bad last fall — he threw for over 2,600 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just two interceptions as he led Penn State football to its fifth 10-win season since 2016. In fact, many times, Allar was all that he was hyped up to be, making on-time throws with pinpoint accuracy. Sure, the play-calling was bad in many games — bad enough that ex-offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was fired mid-season — but that was not Allar’s fault, and play-calling duties have changed to better-suited hands this fall.

Allar’s big issue last fall was performing well in big games; he struggled quite a bit against top-ranked defenses during Penn State’s narrow losses to both Michigan and Ohio State. Aside from those two games, Allar seemed poised more often than not — especially against Power Five teams like West Virginia, Michigan State, and more.

If Drew Allar can continue developing, there is no doubt that he will be a top-ranked NFL Draft target heading into the 2025 draft cycle; in fact, ESPN even believes that the Nittany Lions’ coming season may hinge on it. With the playoff expanding and a very winnable schedule, Penn State football could be gearing up for something special so long as Drew Allar can take steps in the right direction and grasp the Nittany Lions’ new offensive scheme heading into the 2024 season — this makes him the most interesting quarterback in the country.

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