For the record, I’m not the biggest Drew Allar fan. Still think he’s overrated, and still question how effective he’ll ever be in the NFL.

But I want to give credit where credit is due, and to that end, I’ve been much more impressed by the quarterback this season.

Furthermore, since we’re talking about a position group here and not just one guy, I also have been much more impressed by backup Beau Pribula.

The first thing that jumps off the page when looking at Allar’s development is completion percentage. He’s at 70.3 percent, up significantly from last year’s figure of 59.9.

Everybody was enamored last year by Allar’s touchdown to interception ratio of 25 to 2. Meh, that number didn’t do a whole lot for me, because Allar was never allowed to take chances and always settled for the safe throws.

Allar was nothing more than a game manager last year. And in the two biggest games, against Ohio State and Michigan, he was downright horrible. He had two of the worst QB performances in Penn State memory in those games, and the offense was awful.

When Penn State took the field two weeks ago against Ohio State, the offense looked much better from an eye test standpoint. Granted, the Lions scored just six offensive points, compared to 12 last year in Columbus, but you at least got the feeling that they could move the ball and threaten to score.

It wasn’t Allar’s fault that the coaching staff had a collective brain cramp of epic proportions with idiotic playcalling inside the 5-yard line. And earlier in the game, it really wasn’t Allar’s fault that Ohio State came up with a huge interception in the end zone late in the first half — on an unbelievable play by the cornerback.

I cannot sit here and argue that Allar is a great college quarterback. I don’t think he’ll ever be that, because Penn State’s wide receiver situation continues to be an embarrassment.

But I do wonder what Allar would be able to do playing in an offense that did have good wide receivers.

Either way, his major jump in completion percentage and ability to take off and run when needed have been big improvements over last year. He’s already thrown five interceptions, but I’d argue he’s at least taking more chances, so I can live with a few more picks.

Pribula showed me a heckuva lot at Wisconsin, throwing the ball effectively and also running well. He brings so many added dimensions when he’s in the game, and ultimately, I believe Penn State will be trying to recruit quarterbacks who play more like him than it will be going after prototypical pocket passers like Allar.

It will be very, very interesting to see if Allar returns to Penn State next year, or if he turns pro. He can make $1 million or more in NIL money coming back to school, if he thinks he won’t be a first-round pick, and that could be a key part of his decision.

I don’t see Allar as a first-round QB right now. But if he makes as many strides next year as he did this year — and if PSU can fix the wide receiver mess — then Allar very well might live up to his impressive potential.

Cory Giger is the host of “Sports Central” weekdays from 4-5 on HANK-FM 96.1.