Who Is Penn State's Top 2022 Commit?
SI All-American ranked the top 2022 recruits of the top-25 teams from last season, highlighting some exceptional incoming talent. Penn State, of course, wasn't part of the final AP Top 25 following its 4-5 season but has a highly valued 2022 recruiting class.
The Lions rank sixth nationally according to 247Sports and seventh per Rivals. Their 10-player class certainly will grow this summer, as the NCAA is set to lift the year-long recruiting dead period June 1.
Penn State's recruiting future looks bright, with the 2022 class already dotted with impact players. But who's the top player in the class so far? We think it's quarterback Drew Allar.
Though not the highest-graded player in Penn State's class (247Sports has three rated higher), Allar fits perhaps the program's biggest need: a quarterback who can lead a playoff team.
Allar actually is one of two quarterbacks in the class, joining Pennsylvania standout Beau Pribula. Both hold exceptional promise, though Allar's ceiling might be higher.
The 6-5, 220-pound quarterback from Medina, Ohio, is one of the "biggest arm talents in the country," Brian Smith wrote for SI All-American from the Elite 11 regional camp in Indianapolis in early May. He showed an ability to make a variety of throws and might be the best pure passer Franklin has recruited to Penn State.
According to 247Sports' composite ratings, Allar is the highest-ranked quarterback Franklin has recruited. He threw for 2,962 yards and 26 touchdowns last season and had a 488-yard, four-touchdown game in the Ohio state playoffs.
"We've seen a lot of good ones," St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle told cleveland.com after the game, "and colleges better look at this guy."
Colleges were way ahead of Kyle. Allar had more than two dozen offers, with Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Washington among those joining Penn State on the list. Bryan Driskell of SI.com's Irish Breakdown called Allar "one of the most underrated but extremely talented quarterbacks in the 2022 class."
"Allar is an incredibly talented young signal-caller, and his upside is as high as any quarterback in the class," Driskell wrote. "If you're one who likes comparisons, current Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is a great comp for Allar due to his comparable size, athleticism, big arm but also the fact he's still quite raw as a passer."
Allar has committed to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl, which featured 100 of the nation's top senior football players and is considered among the premier high school showcases in the country.
In the past seven years, more than 200 All-American Bowl alumni have been drafted, including 40 in the first round. A record 46 alumni were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, including No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence. The 2022 game will be held in January in San Antonio.
With Allar and Pribula, Penn State brings an interesting pair of quarterbacks into the 2022 recruiting class. Both are ranked in the top 10 nationally at their positions: Allar is 247Sports' No. 8 pro-style quarterback, while Pribula is ranked ninth as a dual-threat quarterback.
And since quarterback is the position on which Penn State's future will hinge, that makes Allar the headliner of this class. So far.
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