Drew Allar shares thoughts on Mike Yurcich firing for first time

It’s been two weeks since James Franklin relieved Mike Yurcich of his duties as the Penn State offensive coordinator. As expected, much of the discussion around Penn State football since then has been centered on the Yurcich firing, how the Nittany Lions offense will move forward under interim coordinators Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle, and the search for a replacement candidate. However, one voice has been notably absent from that conversation in the last 14 days: Drew Allar.

But no longer. After the Michigan State game, we finally heard the Penn State starting QB’s thoughts on Mike Yurcich and the next steps for the Nittany Lions offense.

Penn State offense gets right against Michigan State

It’s been a difficult second half of the season for first-year starting QB Drew Allar. Like the entire offense, the sophomore QB struggled in the Nittany Lions’ two biggest games of the year versus Ohio State and Michigan. The latter of those two offensive performances led to the outing of Mike Yurcich the following day.

The Penn State passing attack underwhelmed again in this first game without Yurcich calling plays last week against Rutgers. Allar went 6-13 for 79 yards before leaving the game on the first series of the third quarter with an injury. The Nittany Lions all but abandoned the pass with backup Beau Pribula, instead pounding out a 27-6 win on the ground.

But things were drastically different for Allar and the Nittany Lions Friday night versus Michigan State. Allar lit up the struggling Spartans secondary to the tune of 292 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17-26 passing. The Penn State offense put up almost 600 yards in perhaps its best performance of the year.

Drew Allar addresses Mike Yurcich firing for the first time

After the regular season finale, Drew Allar was made available to the media for the first time since immediately following the Michigan game. Much has changed around the sophomore QB since then, and we finally had the chance to hear Allar’s thoughts on the Mike Yurcich firing and how the Penn State offense has responded.

“I think the whole offense has handled it [the Yurcich firing] really well,” Allar said. “There’s been no flinch with us. Coach Seider, Coach Howle have done an unbelievable job of just getting us on the same page, communicating with us. And I think we just did a great job allowing our guys to play fast, just with simplicity. We talk about it: simplicity equals speed. It may not be running super simple stuff, but we made really easy rules for all of us. I think that’s why we’ve been clicking more in the pass game.”

Penn State Quarterback Drew Allar on the firing of OC/QB coach Mike Yurcich and how he and the team has adjusted pic.twitter.com/IQqvf4sewG

— Mike Poorman (@PSUPoorman) November 25, 2023

How much influence will Allar have in the Penn State offensive coordinator hire?

With a short respite before the bowl game, it’s possible that by the next time we hear from any Nittany Lions players, James Franklin will have already hired the next Penn State offensive coordinator. Franklin is interviewing candidates this weekend and has already expressed a desire to have a hire in place before the bowl game.

Given Allar’s significance to the Penn State football program, how much of a role will the former five-star QB have in the next offensive coordinator hire? According to James Franklin, Allar and other players will not be involved in the process directly. However, coach-personnel fit is always part of the decision.

“In terms of being involved in the hiring process, no. But in terms of are they [the QBs] a part of that decision, yes,” Franklin said. “In terms of who I’m bringing in, why I’m bringing them in; do they fit? The person that I’m bringing in, do they fit with them? Does everybody understand what they’re signing up for? All those things? Yes.”

Penn State football now awaits its bowl destination, which will be released after conference championship weekend.

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