Meet Drew Allar, Penn State's 'Low-Key, Level-Headed' Quarterback

'I never really pictured myself being in this position,' said Allar, who's as grounded as he is talented.

A year before starting his first game game as Penn State's quarterback, Drew Allar helped create a children's book about his life. "The Men in Back," a collaboration with publisher Andy Vodopia, introduced Allar as someone who loves hearing "Sweet Caroline" at Beaver Stadium, drives a golf ball 300 yards and cherishes his hometown of Medina, Ohio. And even as his career was just beginning, Allar sought to inspire young athletes.

"The message I wanted to offer was to always have hope and work as hard as you can because I never really pictured myself being in this position," Allar said. "I didn’t start playing quarterback until seventh grade and I didn't start until the second half of my sophomore year. I just wanted to give them hope and, if they have dreams, they can achieve them."

Since arriving at Penn State in early 2022, Allar has spent more than a year preparing methodically for this moment while his own future swirled around him. Fans usually cheered louder for Allar than for Sean Clifford last season, a circumstance the former starting quarterback understood. "I think myself and the Penn State community is definitely ready to see someone new," Clifford said late last fall. "I’m with them."

That finally happens Saturday, when Allar leads the Lions against West Virginia in his anticipated first college start. The debut brings fireworks. Former Penn State quarterbacks Todd Blackledge and Michael Robinson will be part of NBC's inaugural Big Ten Saturday Night broadcast, and several other quarterbacks will return to Beaver Stadium. The guest list includes Christian Hackenberg, whose 2013 debut as a freshman marked the last time a Penn State quarterback's first start met this kind of response.

The expectations are palpable. Ralph Russo, the lead college football writer for the Associated Press, wondered whether Allar is the most important player in college football this season. College analyst Mike Golic Jr. said that Allar's arrival licenses fans to wonder "how high this thing can fly." And Blackledge said that the pressure on Allar this season is "through the roof." Yet the quarterback who guided Penn State to its first national championship has gauged signals that Allar has the temperament to handle all of it.

"He’s got the right personality. He wants to be great. He wants to be coached. He’s got humility. And he’s got talent. He’s got major talent," Blackledge said.

Allar certainly brings the pedigree to the position. He threw for 4,444 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior at Medina High, where Penn State scored the early recruiting connection. Coordinator Mike Yurcich, who helped recruit CJ Stroud to Ohio State as the team's offensive coordinator, served as Allar's primary bridge to Penn State. Their relationship has been essential to Allar's development.

"He's very demanding of us, and that’s what I really like," Allar said. "I wanted to go somewhere I would be pushed. He’s the same guy who recruited me."

Allar also benefited from spending a season in the position room with Clifford, who led him through film sessions, essential practice habits and all the foundational elements of playing quarterback in college. Allar certainly brought a live-wire arm to Penn State. Head coach James Franklin has said that few quarterbacks can make the throws Allar can. But Allar knew he needed an education in those essentials of playing the position. Clifford and Yurcich led the lessons.

At the Rose Bowl, Yurcich said that Allar had quickened his development while playing the role of backup last season. Looks that took 3 seconds to read at the line of scrimmage became more recognizable. He identified run checks more quickly and operated RPOs with more confidence. By season's end, Allar had asserted himself as the quarterback who could put his expansive toolbox to good use.

"He lives the position," Franklin said. "He really works at it, both in the classroom and on the football field. ... I will tell you that probably the thing I was most impressed with was his poise when he did get in games. You saw him at the Purdue game. We opened the season in a prime-time, 'Blackout' conference game, and he got in there and he just looked poised and confident. All those other things you can develop and train. That’s something that’s hard to develop and train. You either have that or you don’t. And he has it."

Penn State quarterbacks with poise have been very successful. Robinson won a Big Ten title and came within 1 second against Michigan of playing for a national championship. Trace McSorley kept his poise trailing by 21 points in the Big Ten title game to beat Wisconsin. And Clifford bounced back from leaving that Purdue game, and a potentially debilitating interception, to lead a game-winning drive. If Allar effectively couples that poise with a prodigious arm, he might even raise those expectations. Training camp certainly amplified that prospect.

Franklin said that, during a "really, really good camp" that Allar didn't throw an interception until 13th or 14th practice. Cornerback Kalen King remembered just two interceptions, both near the end of camp, as Allar emphasized ball protection and decision-making.

"When he's not giving it away, that makes my job tough," King said. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to Drew, man. He's gonna be a good one."

Meanwhile, left tackle Olu Fashanu marveled at one throw Allar made during a 2-minute drill. His face lit up recalling the play.

"I don’t even know how to describe it," Fashanu said. "I mean, it was kind of like a perfect pass. He placed it perfectly in the hands of one of our receivers in the middle of the field. The receiver didn’t really have the best separation, but the type of ball that Drew threw, he quite literally threaded the needle. So that’s the type of play that really makes you excited to block for a guy like that. Seeing plays like that gets you really excited to see the type of potential that our quarterback room has."

A limited-edition version of Allar's book, "The Men in Back," is available this week to commemorate the quarterback's anticipated first start. Allar has said that he is donating proceeds from the book to Medina Youth Gridiron Football, where it all started for him. Now, Allar takes his net big step.

"He's done a great job," fellow quarterback Beau Pribula said. "Sometimes you could think that, from an outsider’s perspective, everything could get distracting. But he's done a phenomenal job. That's the kind of person he is: low-key and level-headed."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.