Penn State football staffer gives inside look at Drew Allar’s ‘elite’ habits

At the midway point of the 2024 season, Drew Allar is showing that he has elevated his game to the next level. The rosy-cheeked teenager who became the starting quarterback for Penn State football last fall has matured before our eyes and, at least to this point, the Nittany Lions offense has with him.

On paper, there wasn’t much improvement needed from Allar after 2023. The sophomore’s 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, and two interceptions were more than acceptable from a first-year starter. But Drew Allar carried a perception problem, viewed by many as a quarterback who couldn’t rise to the occasion during the Nittany Lions’ biggest moments.

It’s safe to say that perception has been squashed following Saturday’s win at USC. Beyond his 391 yards and two touchdowns, Allar displayed resiliency against the Trojans. Bouncing back from mistakes, Allar made multiple difficult throws late to help complete the Nittany Lions’ comeback victory.

Drew Allar had a perception altering performance vs USC. That 4th and 10 conversion?? Wow.

— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) October 13, 2024

Allar has thrown for 1,492 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions through six games this season. He is seventh in the nation in passing efficiency (175.8) and 12th in passing yards per completion (14.5).

Allar making plays at QB for @PennStateFball they haven’t seen a qb make in a long long long time

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 12, 2024

Penn State football video director breaks down “elite” habits of Drew Allar

© Grace Carella / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

While the national narrative around Drew Allar may only now be starting to change, those inside the Lasch Building have recognized the type of player the Nittany Lions have for quite some time.

On Monday, Penn State football director of coaching technology Jevin Stone outlined some of the habits that make Allar’s preparation “elite” during the week and on game day.

-6:30AM M-F in the QB Mtg Room alone in the dark studying film since his Freshman year
-Every Friday sits with me for his special video requests to be loaded on his iPad for his hotel studies
-Gameday studies film again before taking the field@AllarDrew preparation is ELITE 🫡 https://t.co/fbLiuIwOmB

— Jev Lee (@jevlee) October 14, 2024

On Saturday, James Franklin spoke about Allar’s growth during his time at Penn State, particularly over the last ten months.

“Drew, he’s just growing up,” Franklin said. “Based on how he was recruited, and then when he shows up, the expectations are through the roof, right? Then last year, he’s a first-time starter in the Big Ten, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio was a lot to a little. People were still critical, right?

“And I get it. It’s Penn State. We have really, really high expectations. He’s just gotten better, and he’s gotten better at really every single area. One of the big reasons he’s gotten better is guys are making plays for him. The wide receivers are making plays this year in a way they didn’t last year.”

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