Penn State football: Is highly-touted 2022 recruit Drew Allar this coaching staff’s prototype quarterback?

Reinforcements are coming.

The Sean Clifford-or-bust era of Penn State offense will run its course over the next couple of months, with Nittany Nation rooting for the continued good health of the team’s only viable option at quarterback.

But with Penn State’s 5-0 start and No. 4 national ranking now a fading memory, many fans will shift at least some of their focus forward. They’ll root for James Franklin’s commitment to a 9th season as head coach in 2022, if only to assure the commitments of the 2 quarterback prospects in the incoming recruiting class.

Drew Allar of Medina, Ohio, and Beau Pribula of York, Pa., have both indicated that they plan to enroll early at Penn State, 2 key recruits in a class that is third best in the nation according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Allar, in particular, is generating major buzz after 247Sports upgraded him to 5-star status and tabbed him as the top QB prospect in the country. There is a distinction to be made, however. The composite rankings, which we use here at Saturday Tradition, are different than 247’s own ratings. The recruiting service combines its own ratings with those of several other top scouting services to compile its composite rankings.

Allar is not the consensus No. 1 QB recruit. In those composite standings, he remains a high-4-star guy and the No. 7 QB recruit in the land. If all commitments hold, Allar will be the 4th-best newcomer joining the Lions next season.

On the other hand, the 6-4 ½, 228-pound youngster with the strong right arm seems to have a college-ready body. Logic suggests he’ll slot right in behind Clifford, and could possibly even play as a true freshman.

Allar is listed as the 74th-best player in the 2022 class, making him the first QB in the top 100 that Franklin has ever landed. By 247’s solo assessment, he’s the 12th best recruit in the nation.

In a recent Q&A with Onward State, the leader of the undefeated Medina Battling Bees said he’s in weekly contact with Franklin and PSU offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and already has a close relationship with fellow Northeast Ohio native Clifford. He indicated that he’s already forming bonds with future classmates, including Pribula, via text.

Are we getting the cart a bit ahead of the horse here, pondering the 2022 QB depth chart as the No. 22 Nittany Lions prepare for a 3:30 ET contest Saturday at Maryland? Sure we are. But it’s hard not to, given that Penn State’s offense becomes more and more quarterback-centric by the season and the 4 best backup options during Clifford’s 3-year reign as the starter have all left.

If Franklin — despite wooing from USC, LSU and possibly others — sticks around to continue his quest to make Penn State an elite program, he’ll be looking to find an even better version of Trace McSorley or Clifford.

More power to current backups Ta’Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux if they can prove otherwise, but neither of them looks like the next multi-year starter for the Lions. Allar does.

Franklin, a former QB and an offensive coordinator before beginning his head coaching career at Vanderbilt in 2011, knows what he’s looking for and seems to have struck gold by linking up with Allar early, before he fully blossomed as a high school QB.

What is PSU looking for in a QB?

Franklin wants a pass-first, unafraid-to-run gunslinger, a physically and mentally tough leader. He prefers to go from one multi-year starter to the next, all the better to run a sophisticated spread offense. In 8 years, he’s had essentially 3 starters: Christian Hackenberg, McSorley and Clifford. Tommy Stevens and Will Levis got into the mix mostly in hybrid roles or to spell a banged-up starter; others got nothing but mop-up duty.

Based on recent history, you’d think a true dual-threat quarterback would be ideal for Franklin. After all, McSorley ran 25 times for 175 yards against Ohio State in 2018 while also passing for 286 yards in a 1-point loss. And Clifford also has a 100-yard rushing game to his credit and had never rushed for negative yardage in a start prior to this season. But the passing skills and ability to take command of a huddle are paramount.

As for running the ball, judgement, willingness and savvy matter more than breakaway speed. McSorley showed and Clifford has shown a knack for knowing when and how to move within the pocket, when to get to the edge, when to take off and where the sticks are. Slide when possible, make the first man miss when needed, go head-first to gain a crucial first down or a score. Get up and do it again despite the occasional big hit.

What does Allar bring?

He’s the program’s top-rated incoming QB since Hackenberg, and bigger than PSU’s 2013 prized 5-star recruit, who arrived in State College a year ahead of Franklin at roughly 6-4 and 210 pounds.

According to 247 analyst Allen Trieu, Allar is a standout passer — both in the pocket and on the move — but not much of a runner at this point. At almost 230 pounds, though, Allar should be able to take rushing yards when they are there and absorb any punishment that comes with that. In build and style, he’s similar to Mason Rudolph, the current Steelers backup who flourished under Yurcich at Oklahoma State.

Whether Allar, like Hackenberg, can start from Day 1 is anybody’s guess. But if Clifford doesn’t return for a super-senior season and no one arrives via the transfer portal, he’s certainly going to look like the best option.

Other possibilities?

Ohio State has 2 true freshman 5-star quarterbacks on its bench behind seemingly entrenched redshirt freshman CJ Stroud. One has to wonder how long Quinn Ewers — rated the No. 1 overall recruit in the country in the 2021 class — and Kyle McCord will sit and watch. These days, all’s fair in transfer portal surfing, right? The Buckeyes also have 4-star RS freshman Jack Miller on the depth chart.

Logjams exist elsewhere, too. Spencer Rattler lost his starting gig to a true freshman down at Oklahoma, putting him on the list of gunslingers who might be looking for new towns in 2022.

Penn State will have options to explore. And if Clifford doesn’t return, the appeal of an open starting job at a high-profile Power 5 program will be enticing for those like Rattler or the odd men out at Ohio State.

What’s the best scenario for 2022?

Root for Clifford to return. Penn State’s offense could use the continuity as it continues to transition to Yurcich’s scheme. The 6-2, 220-pound 23-year-old out of Cincinnati arrived on campus when Joe Moorhead was calling the offensive shots and has carried the program through coordinators Ricky Rahne and Kirk Ciarrocca.

Having a savvy veteran at the controls would be a boon to Yurcich as he continues to fix the broken parts of the offense, namely, the running game. It’s just my hunch, but I think this is rock bottom for the ground attack. With Yurcich putting his QB under center for some plays, which had never previously happened under Franklin, the linemen and 2nd-year line coach Phil Trautwein have had to adjust. So far, it has gone terribly, but time should eventually heal this wound.

Clifford can help buy that time, and thus give himself the chance to become Penn State’s first 10,000-yard passer. And that would give Allar time to settle into college life and acclimate to a few 100,000-plus crowds before having to play in front of one. If he’s ready, I could see Allar being eased into action the way JJ McCarthy is getting his feet wet at Michigan behind Cade McNamara.

Pribula, out of Central York High School, like Allar is a multi-year high school star with college-ready size at 6-2, 215. He’s rated 24th among the nation’s QBs, the best of the 3-star recruits at the position. One recruiting service considered him the best QB recruit of 2022 going into his junior year. Most likely, he’ll redshirt, which would stagger him a year from Allar.

Allar could redshirt too, of course, possibly as a healthy Clifford goes the distance one more time, possibly as some big-name transfer serves as the bridge to the heir apparent.

One way or another, the most likely scenario is that someone will be handing Allar the reins in a year or 2.

Of course, if Franklin winds up in California or Louisiana or parts unknown, all bets are off. Good luck guessing how all those dominos would fall.

Luke Glusco

Luke Glusco is a Penn State graduate and veteran journalist. He covers Penn State and occasionally writes about other Big Ten programs and topics. He also serves as the primary copy editor for Saturday Tradition.