How Penn State's Drew Allar Plays 'Loose, Free and Confident'
Before practice Wednesday, Penn State coach James Franklin showed his team a video detailing the successes of athletes such as Tom Brady, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. The themes Franklin sought to address were greatness through consistency. It permeates every bit of his message these days, as the Lions pursue their first trip to the College Football Playoff.
"That's what we're all trying to do in college football: How do you teach young players and young teams how to practice and play on a consistent level? That's our challenge right now," Franklin told reporters in State College after practice Wednesday. "We practice good. We practice like a really good football team. Are we practicing yet and displaying the habits and behaviors of a great or elite team? That's the challenge for me and the coaching staff and the leaders."
It's been nearly five years since Franklin detailed the difference between "great" and "elite" after the Lions' second consecutive one-point loss to Ohio State. It's a speech that will resonate until Penn State ascends into college football's elite class. Here's a refresher.
Interestingly, Franklin's assessment of his team's practice habits concluded an answer about quarterback Drew Allar, who was named the Big Ten's offensive player of the week. Allar threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, completing 72.4 percent of his passes, and drawing nationwide attention. West Virginia coach Neal Brown was particularly impressed with Allar, saying, "We were going to make him play well, and he played well and he beat us."
That Allar didn't flinch in his first start was not surprising to either Franklin or Allar. The reason? Both called it preparation. Yet even then, Franklin wants to see that preparation produce consistency.
"The promising thing to me is, there's some guys who are super-talented, but they don't work like that," Franklin said. "They don't live it the way he does. To me, until he continues to do it game after game, and stack days, it's still somewhat unproven. But it gives me comfort as the head coach with an offensive background to watch him and his habits and how he approaches it to feel like he's got a chance to play at a high level on a consistent basis."
Allar said that preparation made him confident for his starting debut.
"I wouldn’t say I surprised myself just because of the preparation that the whole team puts in throughout the week," Allar said. "We prepare very hard and very diligently, and I think the coaching staff does a great job of getting us ready to play, making sure we understand the why behind the what. ... For me personally at least, that’s when I play at my best, when I’m loose, free and confident because that’s when I go out and don’t think about anything."
Noteworthy
Franklin said Wednesday that, in addition to some early injuries, the Lions are dealing with an illness that is moving across campus. He didn't mention specific players, but the Lions will release their weekly availability report at about 10 a.m. Saturday before hosting Delaware.
Former linebacker Micah Parsons spoke to the team Friday night before the opener. Seniors normally address the team the night before games. Franklin calls them "shares." Parsons never got to do his, since he opted out of the 2020 season. Franklin said Parsons highlighted "what he appreciates now and what he sees now that maybe he didn't see at the time."
At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Franklin delivered an unprompted appreciation of, and thank-you note to, running back Kaytron Allen. "I just want to make sure that our fans and everybody that follows Penn State closely knows how fortunate we are and how blessed we are to have Kaytron," Franklin said. It's understandable why Franklin would single out certain players in the transfer portal era. Asked on Wednesday why he chose to highlight Allen, Franklin said this:
"I hope from our fan base and our media that he’s appreciated externally the way he is internally by his teammates and his coaching staff," Franklin said.
Penn State hosts Delaware at noon ET on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Peacock, NBC's streaming-only service, has the media rights.
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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.
