Penn State's Drew Allar Has a New Resource in Jim Knowles

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar left Beaver Stadium to the sound of boos on Nov. 2, 2024. The result was another loss to Ohio State and another erratic performance by Allar against his home-state team. In two starts against the Buckeyes, Allar is 30-for-62 for 337 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Those performances furthered the narrative that Allar can’t perform in big games against elite defenses. Allar looks to squash that narrative this season with the help of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who showed the third-year starter his Ohio State scouting report of the quarterback from last season.

“It was really positive feedback from the standpoint of I knew there were areas I needed to work on, but those kind of reconfirmed it,” Allar said at Big Ten Football Media Days in Las Vegas. “So just knowing those areas that showed up on film and trying to make those in the strengths for me this year, so those things don’t happen.”

When Knowles signed a three-year contract with Penn State worth north of $9 million, the focus was on how he would bring the Nittany Lions’ defense to the next level. Few discussed how he also could help Allar take that next step.

During the offseason, Allar, Penn State coach James Franklin and other staff members sat down with Knowles and the staffers he brought from Ohio State. They watched the 20-13 loss from a season ago and keyed in on Allar.

“I was able to sit down with him and a couple of other guys that he brought over from Ohio State and sit back and watch the game from last year and just understand their philosophy behind why they were calling certain things and maybe the tells that I had [and] we had as an offense,” Allar said.

It was a rare occurrence for Franklin and Penn State, as the Nittany Lions had poached a top coordinator from an in-conference school. While Franklin and his team self-scout often, Knowles’ evaluation provided a fresh perspective from the coordinator who held Penn State’s offense to one touchdown the past two seasons.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Jim Knowles walks on the field before the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

And with that comes an advantage. It gave Franklin an inside look at how the most important conference opponent viewed his offense.

“I think [Knowles’ hire] helps all of us. We do self-scouts all the time. [We] have the defense analyze the offense [and] the offense analyze the defense [and] special teams,” Franklin said. “But [they’re] buddies. So you’re honest, but sometimes you sugarcoat some things. Well, we were able to get his Ohio State game plan and evaluation of us and our personnel that he did before he was in our office and hand it to us, and that was really valuable.”

What also helps Allar and the offense with Knowles’ hire is facing off against a mastermind in practice every day. The offense will match up against an elite Penn State defense spearheaded by Knowles in fall camp, which will make both units better.

Franklin called Knowles a “mad scientist” on Wednesday, and safety Zakee Wheatley said Knowles “brings a totally different aspect to the defense.” Penn State’s offense also plans to use Knowles’ expertise to its advantage.

“I’m really excited to go against him and the defense this fall camp,” Allar said. “I think it’s going to be the best defense in the country, and I know our goal on offense is to be the best in the country, so to be able to go against them every day is going to be really fun. I mean, there’s going to be challenging days, but that’s what’s going to pay off in the long run during the season.”

Penn State opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Nevada at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions visit Ohio State on Nov. 1.

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