PSU point-counterpoint: What is your biggest reason for optimism with this team? (Rudel)
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Allar has already elevated
ceiling on Nits' potential
By Neil Rudel
It really boils down to Drew Allar.
Yes, Penn State has plenty of talent at nearly every position, but to get to the College Football Playoff, you need "The Guy."
Times have clearly changed since the Nittany Lions' finest hour -- beating Miami 14-10 for the national championship in 1986 -- and nowadays it takes scoring 40 points to be crowned.
And you can't do that with John Shaffer at quarterback -- nothing against Shaffer, who was the consummate winner and leader.
You can't even do it with, though it's nice to see him on the Green Bay Packers, Sean Clifford.
At the game's most important position, to defeat the Ohio States and Michigans -- not to mention even competing with Georgia -- a top-level NFL prospect is needed.
And it hasn't taken long for Allar to show that he's just that.
Look at the programs threatening to take the next step -- USC, Texas and Colorado -- and look no further than their quarterbacks, Caleb Williams, Quinn Ewers and Shedeur Sanders.
Allar is joining that conversation.
Granted, the sample size is still relatively small as the sophomore has made just two starts, but he's certainly matched or exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations for how the fan base thought he'd play.
Allar has size (6-foot-5, 243 pounds), poise and leadership.
He's shown a strong arm, impressive accuracy and really good pocket presence. He's kept his eyes upfield and appears to scan defenses well, going to secondary reads, taking what's available and not forcing balls into coverage.
He's completed 43 of 55 -- 78.2% -- for 529 yards and four touchdowns. He has not been intercepted. Including the 10 games he played in last year, his touchdown-interception ratio is 8-0.
Already, the NFL has taken notice. College is a mere stopover for many of the nation's top prospects as they are only going to stay three years, even if they have a big NIL deal.
Barring injury or the unforeseen, Allar almost certainly will declare for the NFL Draft after the 2024 season.
If you click around some of the seemingly never-too-early projections of the 2025 draft, he's at the top of the list. Not near the top of it -- No. 1 on it.
Now, you can suggest we've seen this before. You'll recall in 2014 when Christian Hackenberg was coming off a great freshman year under the tutelage of Bill O'Brien.
Mark Whipple, head coach at UMass, declared Hackenberg would be the first pick in the NFL Draft. But a not-so-funny thing happened along the way: O'Brien left, James Franklin arrived, and due to a myriad of circumstances, Hackenberg's career went south.
Penn State's program is on better footing now -- especially its offensive line -- and conducive for Allar to shine.
Further, he has an excellent rapport with offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, who recruited him, and he has been working with a personal QB coach, Brad Maendler, since January of 2020. (Maendler also mentors future PSU commit Ethan Grunkemeyer).
These next two seasons are aligned for Penn State to become elite, and the biggest reason to be optimistic that the Nittany Lions can get there is Drew Allar.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.