There are heavy expectations surrounding Drew Allar and the Penn State Nittany Lions heading into 2025. Not only is Allar preparing to potentially be a top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft, but Penn State should be contending for a national championship.
Still, the Nittany Lions have a whole lot of doubters. Why? Well, head coach James Franklin’s career 1-18 record against top-five teams is a start, and Allar’s tendency to fade against the very best teams in the country is a knock, as well.
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The argument in favor of Allar is that he hasn’t exactly had the best set of weapons at his disposal in Happy Valley, which is why Penn State completely retooled its receiving corps this offseason.
However, that has placed that much more pressure on the shoulders of Allar, and Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic thinks things could potentially go south for the 21-year-old signal-caller.
“What if it wasn’t the receivers holding Drew Allar back but vice versa?” Russo wrote. “Allar has left a lot to be desired against the best competition. Head coach James Franklin flipped the receiver room through the transfer portal to give his quarterback more weapons, but without further improvement from Allar, it might not matter.”
The Nittany Lions bagged three receivers via the transfer portal, which should give Allar a better chance of succeeding this coming season. But if he falters, there is no doubt that his draft stock will take a hit.
Of course, it’s not like Allar’s numbers were poor in 2024. Far from it. He threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 66.5 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 302 yards and six scores.
Compared by many to Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen, Allar is widely viewed as one of the top quarterback prospects heading into the new season. However, just like Alabama’s Jalen Milroe a year ago, that could definitely change with a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Penn State is the favorite to win the Big Ten this season, a conference that includes powerhouses like Ohio State and Oregon. Indiana, Illinois and Michigan aren’t pushovers, either. It will be interesting to see how Allar handles the added pressure this fall.
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The one thing we should note is that Allar can actually significantly boost his stock if he comes out and leads the Nittany Lions on a deep College Football Playoff run while also playing terrific football.
But if it’s anything like last year when Allar failed to complete 60 percent of his passes in each of his last four games, the whispers will commence.
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