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A look at Drew Allar’s development ahead of the 2023 season

Penn State’s Drew Allar is developing fast and gearing up for his first season as the Nittany Lions’ starting QB.

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5 months ago

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Penn State football, Drew Allar
Penn State football practice; April 11th, 2023. Credit: Gracie Carella//Basic Blues Nation

April 15th is a date that is circled on the calendars of many Penn State football fans right now. Why? Because it officially starts the Drew Allar era in State College, which has been anticipated among Nittany Lion fans for years. During spring practice, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar had a chance to break down how he has changed and progressed ahead of the 2023 season this fall.

Drew Allar has seen a great deal of progression

Drew Allar — who committed to Penn State football as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 recruiting cycle — is one of the most-hyped Nittany Lions that the program has ever seen. When Allar committed, the Nittany Lions were in the middle of a hard time in the program’s history (the 11-11 seasons from 2020-21) and needed something to look forward to, which quickly became the Drew Allar era.

As a 19-year-old quarterback heading into what many believe will be his first season as Penn State’s starting quarterback, Drew Allar has managed to develop quite a bit throughout his one year in State College, especially throughout this spring.

What stands out the most about Allar’s progression?

Heading into his sophomore season at Penn State, Allar is a better quarterback than he was a season ago in more ways than one.

“I definitely am a lot more comfortable,” Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said during spring ball. “I think that just comes with nature, being in the offense for the second year in a row. Defiantly a lot more familiar with everything, the checks that we want to get into, all that sort of stuff. More comfortable with the run game, pass game, protections, all of that. I think everything in general has slowed down for me just from experience and being in the offense for the second year in a row.”

Penn State quarterback and his offensive line are developing together

The 2023 season will be slightly different for the entire Penn State football offense, especially the Nittany Lions’ offensive line. While there are some holes to fill, the team appears to be confident in this year’s O-Line unit; star running back Kaytron Allen even claims that Penn State’s offensive line is the best in the nation. Still, with a new center and a new quarterback, more work needs to be done before the fall opener against West Virginia on September 2nd.

“It has been really good,” Allar told reporters when asked about his progression with a new center. “I think every center that we have had playing so far has done a really good job. They’re all super smart which helps us out a ton; we’re on the same page as them as far as run-game IDs and protection IDs. So, it definitely makes it a lot easier when we’re dealing with super smart people in that room and a great offensive line coaching staff in that room.”

Allar’s confidence is rising as a Penn State football player

Being one of the most talked about players in college football while balancing college classes as a 19-year-old is a job few can handle. Still, Drew Allar finds confidence in himself more than anyone else and is tuning out the noise.

“I think I have that inner self-belief and confidence,” Allar told reporters. “I think you have to be confident at this level, you’re playing against the best players each day and you’re playing with the best players, so you definitely have to have that self confidence that you belong here.

“I think the team as a whole, we’ve grown really close,” Allar continued, “I am close with the offensive linemen, and the offense as a whole — it’s easy to talk to everybody in this program, whether it’s coaches, training staff, [and more].”

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation; we are proud to be a student and alumni-owned and operated media outlet covering all things Penn State athletics! Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State teams. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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FOOTBALL

James Franklin highlights historic win over Iowa

Last night, James Franklin explained why the White Out win over Iowa was one of the most dominant in Penn State football history.

Published

53 mins ago

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September 24, 2023

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Penn State Football, James Franklin, Iowa, White Out
Sep 23, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts from the sideline during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Iowa 31-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

The weather left a little to be desired for a late September evening, but that was about the only thing that didn’t work in the favor of Penn State football last night. The Nittany Lions looked absolutely dominant, controlling the contest from start to finish in a 31-0 rout of No. 24 Iowa in front of a White Out crowd. If you walked away last night feeling like the game was one of the most dominant wins of the James Franklin era in Happy Valley, you may be right. After the victory, Franklin highlighted some key stats that made it a historic night for the Penn State football program.

James Franklin highlights historic win for Penn State football

Iowa was able to move the ball on the opening series of the game, but that’s about all the Hawkeyes could muster on what was a dominant evening for Penn State football. Last night could have easily turned into a sloppy slugfest. But the Nittany Lions rose to the occasion to have their most complete game of the season in front of a primetime White Out crowd.

Penn State’s first win over a ranked opponent this season was not just massive for the Big Ten title hunt and College Football Playoff picture. The victory was one of the most dominant games in school history. Following the game, James Franklin explained why Saturday was a historic night for Penn State football.

“…We only allowed 76 yards in the entire game. That’s the 10th fewest in school history,” Franklin said during postgame media availability. “Iowa only had four first downs in the entire game, [that was the] fourth fewest allowed in Penn State history as well. [The] offense had four scoring drives of 10-plus plays, which also went hand-in-hand with a possession time of 45 minutes and 27 seconds, which I’ve never seen before. We’ve scored 30 or more points 11 times in a row now — that leads the nation. Nittany Lions have also scored in 28 straight quarters; that’s the longest streak in the country. So, just a ton of stuff to be proud of.”

White Out crowd also makes history against Iowa

While James Franklin has to feel good about the dominant win and where his team stands heading into the thick of Big Ten play, Penn State football fans also have something to be proud of.

Last night’s White Out game attendance was announced as 110,830, the second largest in Beaver Stadium history. The attendance just barely missed the record of 110, 889, which was set against Ohio State in 2018.

“I want to thank the fans,” Franklin said after the game. “We had a great crowd; 110,800 — second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history. That was awesome.”

“We’ve got the best fans in the country,” Penn State star WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith later added. “We appreciate them coming out each and every week. You know, being dedicated; it was raining out there, and it was still stands packed. It was a great environment, which was a big reason why I came to Penn State — to play in games like this in front of crowds like that.”

Penn State football hits the road again Saturday to take on Northwestern in Evanston.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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FOOTBALL

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

The Penn State football defense sent a statement to everyone in the country last night with their performance.

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3 hours ago

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September 24, 2023

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Penn State football, Adisa Isaac, defensive unit, Manny Diaz
Penn State's Adisa Isaac celebrates after recovering a fumble during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.

The Penn State football defense has been elite early on this season. Against Illinois, they forced five turnovers including four interceptions. Then, last night on the national stage the defensive unit shut out Iowa 31-0. They also caused another four turnovers last night, all came from forced fumbles. So, that’s 9 turnovers caused in the past two games, Manny Diaz has this group dialed in. After the game, we caught up with Adisa Isaac and others who shared their thoughts on this statement performance.

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

Defensively, Penn State allowed 76 total yards of offense, total domination from start to finish. Iowa finished the night averaging 1.2 yards per rushing attempt. This unit understood the assignment on Saturday night and they took care of business. We asked Adisa Isaac about his thoughts on this statement performance.

Isaac said, “We have a dominant defense. That shouldn’t be no secret but I feel like we just showed in a shutout against a ranked opponent that we have some stuff that’s flowing and it’s only going to get better.”

He wasn’t the only one. After the game star linebacker, Abdul Carter tweeted “BEST DEFENSE IN THE COUNTRY!!!! #WEARE.”

It shows the energy and the confidence that this unit is starting to play with. It’s at the perfect point in the season for Manny Diaz to have this defensive unit firing on all cylinders. As for Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, he will have to pick up the pace on his lofty goal of scoring 25 points per game. After the Penn State loss, Iowa is only averaging 21.25 points per game.

The pass rush got home

One of the questions James Franklin was asked earlier this week surrounded the topic of lack of stats from star defenders. One of those players was potential 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson who picked up his first sack of the season. This was also a strip sack where Robinson caused a turnover. Amin Vanover and Adisa Isaac also collected sacks against Iowa last night.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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BREAKING: Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Penn State lands top 100 nationally ranked linebacker DJ McClary after the whiteout weekend.

Published

6 hours ago

on

September 24, 2023

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Penn State football, DJ McClary, 2025 recruiting
Sep 23, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin shakes the hands of invited recruits upon the team’s arrival prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

The whiteout is one of the biggest weekends for the Penn State football team. Not only because of the game that was played. But arguably more importantly, it allows Penn State to showcase its greatness to recruits. The atmosphere, the fans, the community, all of these elements factor into a player’s decision to commit to Penn State. James Franklin made sure that he thanked each player and parent after the game as well for making it to State College. Now, DJ McClary has made his decision to join the 2025 recruiting class for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Earlier this week, a crystal ball was placed by 247sports Brian Dohn for DJ McClary to land at Penn State. Now, McClary has made his decision to play his college football at Linebacker U. McClary is a four-star recruit and he is a top-100 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247sports composite rankings. He is from Jersey City, New Jersey, and chose Penn State over Ohio State, USC, Tennesee, Michigan, and several other schools.

DJ McClary is currently the 3rd highest-rated player in New Jersey and is a massive addition to the 2025 recruiting class at Penn State. James Franklin is hopeful that this is one of many commitments that will result from the 31-0 victory over Iowa. After watching the defense last night, how would you not want to play linebacker at Penn State?

Re-racking the 2025 recruiting class

After recently losing Jaelyne Matthews to a de-commitment this is how the 2025 recruiting class is shaping up for Penn State. Four-star RB KiAndrea Barker, three-star S Omari Gaines, and now DJ McClary.

The Nittany Lions are optimistic that they can land four-star running back Tiqwai Hayes who will make his decision tomorrow.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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