Penn State Quarterback Drew Allar Among 6 Captains for 2024 Season

"It's something I wanted to be very intentional about," Allar said of his leadership role with the Nittany Lions.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar supports the offensive line as they face off against the defensive line in a game of tug of war during the 21st annual Lift for Life in Holuba Hall. / Dan Rainville/USA Today Network - PA / USA TODAY NETWORK

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is among six team captains who will represent the Nittany Lions this season. Penn State football coach James Franklin announced the captains Saturday, two weeks before the Nittany Lions visit West Virginia for the season opener.

Allar, a junior and the team's second-year starting quarterback, will represent the offense with fifth-year senior center Nick Dawkins, who is starting for the first season. Middle linebacker Kobe King and safety KJ Winston are first-year captains and second-year starters for the defense. Dom DeLuca returns as a second-year captain on special teams with punter Riley Thompson, a first-time captain.

Allar is a preseason nominee for multiple awards, including the Maxwell, Manning and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards. Dawkins was named to the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, a community service award. King and Winston are preseason nominees for the Butkus Award and Bednarik Award watch lists, respectively. Thompson is nominated for the Ray Guy Award.

Penn State will roster six team captains for the second consecutive year, though the leadership lineup has changed significantly. Only DeLuca, a linebacker and primary special teams player, is a returning captain. Franklin said that his team has demonstrated growing leadership since spring.

"We feel good about it," Franklin said of his team's leadership before naming captains. "... I see this team being more vocal. Myself, [strength coach] Chuck Losey and [director of high school relations Bob] Palko spent a ton of time talking about this. I see these guys being more vocal in challenging their teammates, holding their teammates accountable. I think those things have been pretty evident in the summer workouts and so far in camp. So I think we are in a good place, but we're going to need it. We're going to need a ton of it. "

Allar has spoken often since last season about taking a larger leadership role on the team.

"I definitely feel more natural in that role," Allar said. "Between me, [quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien], coach K [offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki] and coach Franklin, it's something I wanted to be very intentional about, taking my next step in my progression of being a vocal leader. I'm always going to be a lead-by-example guy first. That's just kind of how I'm wired; put the work in, less talking. But I want to be that vocal leader, be that communicator between players and staff and be open and honest about my thoughts."

"We’re doing a really good job of building that leadership and just learning how to bounce back quicker," Allar added recently. "We’re in a really good spot as an offense. We’re building consistency. We’re stacking days. That’s been something we’ve been working on. We’ll have a good practice one day and then maybe the defense gets us the next day. We can’t let that happen. We have to come out and be consistent every day and bring that same energy."

Penn State opens the 2024 season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on FOX.

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