Drew Allar shares midseason speech from Theo Johnson that sparked the Penn State offense

Theo Johnson will play his final game as a member of the Penn State football program during Saturday’s Peach Bowl. The Nittany Lions star TE leaves Happy Valley with his legacy cemented, due in part to his strong leadership this fall. Even amid on-field adversity, Johnson’s presence was a galvanizing force for the Penn State offense in 2023. At no time was Johnson’s leadership needed more than when offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was fired in early November. On Wednesday, Nittany Lion QB Drew Allar shared the message Theo Johnson delivered to his teammates following Yurcich’s firing that helped rally the offense to a strong close of the regular season.

Drew Allar shares galvanizing message from Theo Johnson after the firing of Mike Yurcich

It was difficult straits for Penn State football following its anemic offensive performance in the loss to Michigan on November 11. In clear need of a change, James Franklin fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich after two and a half years in Happy Valley.

For an offense that had struggled mightily on the biggest stages this season, the move could have easily led to a collapse to close out the year.

Instead, the Penn State offense had two of its strongest games of the season. The Nittany Lions put up 234 rushing yards against Rutgers, a game Drew Allar left in the second half due to injury. The unit followed it up with an overpowering 586 yards in a 42-0 rout of Michigan State in the regular season finale.

Now, Penn State looks to finish the year on a high note against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl on Saturday. During media availability on Wednesday, Drew Allar shared what captain Theo Johnson said to the team in the first meeting following Yurcich’s firing. Allar credited the speech as a contributing factor to the offense’s success over the final two games.

“He just said, at the end of the day, we could either come together or fall apart. We had to finish the season right, finish the season strong, because we have the talent necessary to do whatever we want to do as an offense,” Allar stated. “We just got to go out and execute what the coaches put out for us to go out and play, and I think we’ve done a great job with that the past two weeks.”

Penn State football star reflects on his legacy ahead of Peach Bowl

This is not the first time we’ve heard about Theo Johnson’s ability to win over the locker room. On senior day, James Franklin highlighted Johnson’s powerful message to his teammates following the 27-6 win over Rutgers.

Moving oration will only be a portion of the legacy of Theo Johnson at Penn State. Johnson enters the Peach Bowl with 75 receptions and 922 yards in his Nittany Lion career. His 11 touchdowns are the 17th most in Penn State football history and tied for the third-most among Nittany Lion TEs.

With his NFL Draft declaration behind him, Theo Johnson prepares to play his final game in Blue and White. On Wednesday, the star TE reflected on his time at Penn State, and discussed the legacy he hopes to leave behind in Happy Valley.

“That’s something [legacy] I’ve taken a lot of pride in and something I worked really hard for,” he said. “The Penn State TE tradition has been something that’s been going on long before I got here. So, coming in here as a young kid, I knew that it meant something to play TE at Penn State. I’ve worked really hard to leave the TE room better than I found it and kind of leave a legacy.

“I kind of want to be remembered as a guy who worked really hard and worked his tail off and kind of gave everything to his organization and his team and his teammates and was kind of a selfless guy that just worked really hard. That’s the legacy I want to leave here at Penn State.”

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