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James Franklin predicts ‘significant leap’ for Drew Allar during senior season

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

James Franklin has seen a lot of great things out of Drew Allar across his tenure as the starting quarterback for Penn State. However, he wants to see even better things from his senior QB this fall.

During Franklin’s stop at Big Ten Media Days, the head coach was asked about Allar, who is entering his 3rd season as the primary starter under center. Franklin admitted he’s simply proud of the growth and progress Allar has taken throughout his career.

“I’m just proud of him. Drew has made tremendous growth every single year, all the way back to recruiting,” said James Franklin. “I don’t know if a lot of people remember, but Drew, when we first started recruiting, was a 3-star recruit, kind of a throwback recruit. Kept getting better, kept moving up the charts. Depending on which recruiting service you follow, some people had him as the No. 1 quarterback in the country before it was all said and done.”

After arriving in Happy Valley, Allar sat for a season behind Sean Clifford but served as the primary backup. He appeared in 10 games and was effective when on the field.

Franklin pointed to Allar’s patience and development as key behind the scenes. Now, he’s “really, really made tremendous strides” in leadership and holding himself and teammates to a high standard as a complete player.

Despite all the positive things Allar has done, Franklin predicted Allar can make “another significant leap” in 2025. Last season, Allar improved his completion percentage to 66.5% (up from 59.9% from 2023), though his interceptions crept up to 8 on the season.

“He’s made significant leaps every year. We expect him to take another significant leap this year,” said Franklin. “Most people had him projected as a first round draft choice last year, and he decided to come back to school, unfinished business collectively as a team but also as an individual.

“I’m a big Drew fan. You guys get a chance to get around him, you’ll feel the same way. He’s really what it’s all about. It’s team, team, team. It’s community. It’s Penn State. He does things the right way, and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

If Allar can improve his big-game performances, Penn State should be in the thick of the national title hunt all season. He will also be a sleeper to monitor in the Heisman Trophy odds produced by BetMGM throughout the season as one of the best veterans at the position.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.