How Penn State's Drew Allar Is Playing 'Loose, Free and Confident' in Spring Drills

The Nittany Lions quarterback says he's letting the "more competitive side of me come out this spring."

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws during practice as Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien watches. / Max Ralph/AllPennState

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar looks different this spring. He also sounds different: more confident, more assured, perhaps even more relaxed. There’s a reason.

“I feel like I play my best when I'm loose, free and confident and just having fun out there,” Allar said on a video call this week. “And I think I've done a lot better job with that [this spring].”

Allar enters his second season as Penn State’s starting quarterback confronting plenty of change. He’s sorting a new offense with coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, building a rapport with new center Nick Dawkins and accepting more responsibility as the face of Penn State football. That never came easy, and still doesn’t, but Allar is becoming the alpha quarterback the Nittany Lions need for a playoff run.

Kotelnicki said Allar has been “yearning to improve” this spring. Head coach James Franklin said the rising junior is “ready to take the next step,” referring to how Allar conducts himself and performs on multiple platforms. And new receiver Julian Fleming, a fifth-year senior who played with some elite quarterbacks at Ohio State, said he and Allar began building their relationship since Fleming’s visit in December.

"What we’re trying to get guys to do, and Drew embodies this, is, we want our players to learn how to self-reflect,” Kotelnicki said. “And if you can learn to do that in my estimation, and this is not scientific, I think that makes you better than 97 percent of the people out there. Because 97 percent of the population has never looked in the mirror and said, 'This is what I need to improve on.' And he embodies the idea of looking in the mirror taking ownership, good or bad, and growing and improving."

RELATED: Penn State's Julian Fleming discusses Ohio State transfer, his health and why he chose the Nittany Lions.

By most metrics, Allar compiled a superb first season as Penn State’s starting quarterback. He produced a 25/2 touchdown/interception ratio, among the best nationally in 2023, and ranked fourth in the Big Ten in quarterback rating (136.89). But Allar had places to direct that self-reflection. That QB rating fell to 100.87 in Penn State’s three losses, in which he threw just four of those 25 touchdown passes. Allar’s 59.9 percent completion rate also could have been better, considering Penn State ranked 109th nationally in pass plays of 20+ yards.

So with Kotelnicki, Allar has been eager to learn about deploying a new passing game loaded with shifts, motions and formations. He expects more big plays, because the offense emphasizes putting receivers into space and freeing them to use their toughness. That’s one key trait Allar has seen in Fleming and winding through the receivers room.

Allar also turned inward this offseason, addressing physical needs to make him more of a run-game threat. Franklin noted that Allar looks leaner, even though he hasn’t lost any significant weight. Allar said he weighs 240-243 pounds, not far below his sophomore-year weight, but feels fitter. He wants to shed a few more pounds before the 2024 season begins Aug. 31 at West Virginia.

“That’s the one area off the field I really wanted to improve on this offseason is getting more lean and losing a little bit of weight,” Allar said. “I know my goal is to lose a little bit more before fall camp, and I'll continue attacking that throughout spring and into the summer. … I think that's really helped me movement-wise, and then also doing a bunch of extra mobility work with the athletic trainers on our staff. I've been doing a lot more extra work in the training room in that aspect. I think that's helped me be a lot more fluid in my movement.”

Franklin has noticed. “He's moving better,” the coach said in March. “He looks better. He looks leaner. His weight is still very similar, but I think he's changed his body composition in a lot of ways."

Allar also has asserted himself more vocally. He probably won’t be the most pointedly direct quarterback, but Allar is developing a stronger voice. He and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien have made that another spring priority.

“I’ve kind of let the more competitive side of me come out this spring,” Allar said. “You know, talking to the offense, being a more vocal leader, and then also talking to the defense. So I think that's when I play my best, when I'm just having a lot of fun and not really thinking — kind of just going out there and playing and just being loose.”

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.