Why Penn State's Drew Allar Believes His Injury Might Be a 'Blessing'

The Nittany Lions quarterback discussed the end of his season, what he'd change and what's next.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) warms up before a game against the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. | James Lang-Imagn Images

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said that his best football remains ahead of him as he rehabs from October ankle surgery that ended his college career. Allar discussed the injury, his future and what he called "one of the worst weekends of my life" during his first major interview since the Northwestern game that ended his and James Franklin's careers at Penn State.

"I think my best football is ahead of me," Allar said in a candid call with reporters Thursday. "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 already dove into a lot of NFL tape and and obviously helping [Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer], I try to watch film with Grunk as much as I can throughout the week. 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."

Drew Allar on his injury

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks over injured quarterback Drew Allar as he sits on the ground during the fourth quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Allar sustained a broken left ankle late in the fourth quarter against Northwestern on Oct. 11. He underwent successful surgery less than a week later.

Allar, who is still wearing a boot, said he expects to make a full recovery but would not place a timetable on returning to football activities. The NFL Scouting Combine is scheduled to begin Feb. 26.

"I'm not going to get into that too much, just because there's a lot of things that have to go in a certain way, and I don't want to rush anything back because I have a lot of time," he said. "Fortunately enough, my injury, although it's going to take time to heal, it's not the most significant injury in the world. There's guys that have suffered a lot worse injuries than me, and I'll be able to make a full recovery."

The bond between James Franklin and Drew Allar

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar is congratulated by head coach James Franklin after defeating the USC Trojans in 2024. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Franklin was with Allar and his family at a State College hospital Saturday night after the Northwestern game. The following day, Allar was in the team meeting where Franklin said goodbye after being fired. And just a few days after that, Allar was in Atlanta preparing for surgery.

"That was honestly probably one of the worst weekends of my life," Allar said. "To bounce back from it, I just stuck to my circle between my teammates here at Penn State and my family back home. Coach was at the hospital with me Saturday night, when I was getting more imaging done to kind of figure out everything. And then obviously, I was in that team meeting Sunday morning when everything was broke to us.

"... It was a very fast flip of the switch, honestly. Like it still doesn't feel real to some extent, and it's kind of just going with it day by day."

Allar and Franklin continue to speak often, and Allar texted with Franklin's wife Fumi on Wednesday, when Franklin was introduced as Virginia Tech's head coach.

"I have a great relationship with coach Franklin," Allar said. "I've probably talked to him every other day since I guess we've both been done. I'm very excited for him. He's going to do a great job at Virginia Tech. I think it's a great spot for him. I'm very excited to see what he does. I'm very happy for him and his family. They've done a great amount for me and my teammates. ... It's going to be really fun to keep in touch with him and just follow his journey and see how everything unfolds."

Drew Allar on what he could have done to change the season

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) looks to throw a pass during the third quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Allar continues to serve as a Penn State captain and traveled with the team for road games at Ohio State and Michigan State. He will be introduced Saturday during Penn State's Senior Day ceremony before the Nittany Lions play Nebraska. Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith called Allar's presence essential for the team and for Grunkemeyer in particular.

But since the Northwestern game, Allar has had time to think about a season that didn't go as planned. He began the year as a Heisman Trophy candidate playing for a College Football Playoff contender. Had he made a few more plays, Allar said, perhaps that trajectory would have continued.

"I've had a lot of time to reflect on it. Maybe not the most fun subject to do for myself," Allar said. "But for me personally, we wouldn't be in this position if I find ways to make more plays throughout the game. Just going back to the Oregon game, if I find different ways to get going early or make the game finish a different way, I think that changes the outlook on our season.

"Football is not a one-coach, one-player game. It's a total team buy-in. ... I know coach Terry said it at halftime this last week. As players, we've just got to go out and make plays. And I know I left a little bit out on the field, more than I would have liked going into this year.

"And if I find ways to make maybe three or four more plays in every game, no matter if we won the game or lost the game, I think it's a different outlook on the season. I think we'd be in a different spot. But sometimes it just doesn't shake out the way you want. That's football."

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