Penn State QB Drew Allar Says, 'My Best Football Is Ahead of Me' as Steelers Draft Him

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar took the long way to the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Pittsburgh Steelers stunningly selected him with the 76th overall pick. Once considered the potential No. 1 overall pick, and as a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, Allar now looks to hit the reset switch with a division rival after his Penn State career ended both abruptly and disappointingly.

Allar became the second Nittany Lion selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, completing a sweep for former Nittany Lions coach James Franklin: All four of his starting quarterbacks at Penn State were drafted.

For Allar, the past no longer matters. He has an opportunity to turn the 2025 season into the platform for his future. Here's what to know about Drew Allar.

Who is Drew Allar?

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (right) looks on during the first half against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

After ending his college career with a broken ankle last October, Allar said he hoped the injury could in same ways be a "blessing" to his career.

"I think my best football is ahead of me," Allar said about a month after the injury. "Honestly, this injury might be a blessing for me, just to be able to kind of sit back and reflect on different things and just learn different things, whether that be offensive schemes or defensive schemes.

"... I've been watching a lot of NFL film already. It's good to start breaking down some defenses, just kind of see what it's like, see the different tendencies and just try to soak up all the knowledge that I can in this process. And I think, for me personally, I know the best football's ahead of me in my career, and I'm excited to have a chance to showcase that and just get back on track and just playing football again."

Allar, 22, has been in the spotlight since 2022, when he enrolled at Penn State as the top-ranked recruit of Penn State's sixth-ranked 2022 class. He played in the Nittany Lions' opener that season against Purdue, dropping a lovely ball to tight end Tyler Warren that, despite going uncaught, shaped an absurd level of expectations.

"God turned this guy's right arm into a thunderbolt," FOX Sports' Joel Klatt has said.

Allar spent a lot of time and energy cultivating the thunderbolt. During the pandemic's height in 2020, Allar wrapped a towel around his throwing hand and practiced grooving his throwing motion in front of a mirror at his home in Medina, Ohio. Then he sent video of those sessions to his personal coach, Brad Maendler, who had trained the quarterback through a growth spurt that stretched him to 6-4.

"It was like Marmaduke trying to get control over this big body," Maendler said. "It was a challenging first month. There's a whole, take a step back to take two steps forward kind of thing with this. Whenever you're making mechanical changes, you've got to expect that. And that's why I think he is so special, because right away, he came to work. He was incredibly open to change. And he had the toughness and grit to kind of just work through this process and not get down because it wasn't happening as fast."

B4 & After…Penn State QB Drew Allar. Check out the stunning transformation during Drew’s 2-year journey to become the best version of himself. Shout out to Bryan Alberty at @AthletesFoL for helping Drew transform his body. @AllarDrew #WeAre #QBExcelerate pic.twitter.com/Rudv5S627h
— Brad Maendler (@BradMaendler) February 3, 2022

Allar started 2½ seasons for Penn State, taking the team to the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinals and within a few plays of the title game. He announced his return to Penn State during the playoffs, setting the stage for a huge 2025, both personally and with the program. That, though, didn't happen.

What Drew Allar brings to the NFL?

I understand the Drew Allar hype… pic.twitter.com/H04RewL8j6
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 24, 2026

Despite his controlled stats (he threw just nine career interceptions), Allar was a boom-or-bust quarterback. He threw critical late interceptions in three consecutive Penn State losses: the 2024 Big Ten title game, the 2025 Orange Bowl and the 2025 White Out vs. Oregon.

Those are key fix-it traits underscored by Sports Info Solution's scouting report of the quarterback. Allar received a grade of 4 (on a 1-10 scale) in throwing under pressure and 5s for pocket awareness and eye discipline.

As well as Allar can look situationally (he made dozens of NFL-worthy throws at Penn State), the quarterback needs to a more holistic game to become an NFL starter.

Will Drew Allar play as a rookie?

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar throws a pass during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If he does, something went wrong in Pittsburgh. He has so many tools required to play the position, notably the size, arm strength and skill and passion for reading film. However, 2025 was a setback year for the quarterback. He never redshirted at Penn State. This would be a good year to do so.

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.

Add us as a preferred source on Google