Penn State Freshman Drew Allar Earns No. 2 Quarterback Spot
Penn State coach James Franklin said that true freshman Drew Allar will be the No. 2 quarterback for the season opener at Purdue.
Allar evidently surpassed returning quarterback Christian Veilleux during training camp for the backup spot. However, Franklin said that the No. 2 role behind starter Sean Clifford would be "fluid" this season.
"When we take all of the information, coaches' opinion based on their gut and experience, data from everything that we keep track of, we felt like Drew earned that opportunity in Week 1," Franklin said Monday during his weekly press conference. "... Taking everything into consideration, the coaching staff felt like this was the right decision."
Allar enrolled in January as a 5-star prospect, made a significant impact on the quarterback room during spring drills and gained significant size during preseason training. Listed at 6-5, 225 pounds when he enrolled, Allar is 6-5, 242 pounds on the current roster.
This summer, Franklin said that "there's a lot of things to be excited about with Drew" but did not hint at the quarterback's rise up the depth chart. On Monday, Franklin said that the coaching staff came to the decision together.
Earlier Monday, Clifford said that Allar, Christian Veilleux and Beau Pribula "have just been phenomenal" during the preseason, noting that the true freshmen in particular have been receptive to learning from him.
"Honestly they've done a fantastic job of opening their ears and listening, asking a bunch of questions whenever they have one, not being afraid to ask, and just being really receptive to praise and criticism," Clifford said. "We have a room that's very loving of each other. .. This has been one of my favorite rooms so far, and it has lots of talent."
Teammates said Allar has made significant strides since spring drills, notably in realizing that he's no longer in high school. Early on, center Juice Scruggs urged Allar to speak louder at the line of scrimmage, and safety Ji'Ayir Brown saw the quarterback began his college career "by trying a lot of high school things."
Now, Brown said, Allar is "looking like a professional quarterback."
"His form is unbelievable," Brown said. "Drew has an arm; he can sling the ball 60, 70, 80 yards downfield if he wants to, probably farther. To see him come in as a high school quarterback, at first he was trying a lot of high school things early, but now Drew is dialed in. ... He's made a big step from high school to now."
Franklin said that all three quarterbacks behind Clifford took significant reps during training camp, which helped inform the decision. Penn State managed Clifford's reps to lighten his workload and place the other three quarterbacks in more live situations.
"Drew needs to learn from Sean, and so does [Veilleux] and so does Beau," Franklin said. "It's a really good environment with that whole room. We've worked hard at that, but we need to continue to work hard with the chemistry of that room, and those guys have to continue to prepare and invest the way the need to be prepared when their number gets called."
Read More
Drew Allar and the value of loyalty
What we learned about Penn State in Week 0
First Look: Penn State vs. Purdue
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