Multiple Big Ten Coaches Call Out College Football Powerhouse After NFL Draft

Big Ten coaches say Penn State failed Drew Allar, as the Pittsburgh Steelers now bet on his untapped potential in the third round.

Former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (QB02) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Drew Allar's final chapter at Penn State was painful to watch. A broken ankle in a midseason loss to Northwestern, the abrupt firing of head coach James Franklin the very next day, and a swift fall down NFL draft boards that few predicted entering 2025.

But after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected the 6-foot-5 quarterback with the No. 76 overall pick, a clearer picture emerged from coaches who watched Allar for years inside the Big Ten.

The program, not just the player, deserved scrutiny.

Big Ten coaches question Penn State's quarterback development

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg spoke with coaches and coordinators across college football before and after the 2026 NFL Draft, and the feedback on Allar from Big Ten coaches carried a notable undercurrent. Their evaluations were lukewarm, but they were also honest about context.

"Hopefully [Pittsburgh] will be a coaching staff that can maximize what he's good at," one Big Ten coach said. "I'm not really sure that was the case [at Penn State]."

Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. deliver the news that the @Steelers pick QB Drew Allar ⚫️🟡

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That quote deserves some attention. Allar entered 2025 widely projected as a first-round talent. He had helped Penn State reach the College Football Playoff semifinals after the 2024 season, eventually finishing his career as the program's all-time leader in completion percentage at 62.9 percent. He also accumulated 7,402 passing yards and 61 touchdown passes across four seasons in State College.

Yet multiple Big Ten coaches told Rittenberg that Allar "went through multiple systems" and was not consistently put in the best position to succeed. That is a significant indictment of how Penn State managed, or failed to manage, one of its most talented quarterbacks in recent history.

Why Steelers believe Allar's best football is ahead of him

The Pittsburgh context matters here. New head coach Mike McCarthy built his reputation as a quarterback developer, and that reputation was a driving factor in his hire. Draft analyst Bucky Brooks wrote that "Mike McCarthy's magic touch could transform Allar into a credible starter down the road," citing Allar's prototypical size, arm talent and experience in a pro-style system.

Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth was more direct. "I don't think he has reached his potential yet as a player," Arth said. "He throws it as well as any quarterback in this draft class. He has an effortless arm."

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

CBS Sports listed the pick among its more questionable selections, pointing to inconsistent accuracy and a senior season that never found its footing. Those concerns are real. But the broader portrait of Allar is one of a quarterback whose development stalled inside a program experiencing significant organizational turbulence, not one who simply ran out of ability.

Allar himself called the stretch surrounding his injury and Franklin's firing "one of the worst weekends of my life."

What's next for Allar's budding pro career

What fans should realistically expect is a redshirt year in all but name. Allar will likely spend 2026 watching from behind Aaron Rodgers, although the veteran has yet to confirm his return, and Mason Rudolph is currently penciled in to start. Regardless, Allar can absorb McCarthy's system from the sidelines and rebuild his throwing mechanics that were never fully standardized at Penn State.

The upside here is not immediate. It is a controlled development inside a structure he never had in college. Pittsburgh is not asking Allar to be ready for Week 1, and that's the smart play. They are asking him to build toward becoming what scouts have always believed he was.

The 22-year-old signal-caller will now look to reset in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers' rookie minicamp is scheduled for May 8-10.