Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has been the topic of conversation ever since coach James Franklin was fired, and one former assistant thinks he had the potential to win a Heisman Trophy.
You don’t need a random writer to tell you that the 2025 season for the Penn State Nittany Lions has been a total disaster.
For the 2024 season, Penn State was five minutes away from reaching the National Championship game, until it let Notre Dame pull away with 10 points to seal the game.
Even with the collapse in the Orange Bowl, the 2025 season was met with hope and belief that coach James Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar would lead the Nittany Lions to the promised land.
Except that wasn’t what happened.
Expectedly, they started the season 3-0, with the following game against Oregon being anticipated as one of the biggest games of the year. But little did PSU fans know, that game marked the beginning of the end.
Following a fourth quarter comeback at Beaver Stadium, Penn State fell to the Ducks 30-24 in double overtime with Allar throwing a game-sealing interception.
A week later, it fell to winless UCLA in Pasadena. The next week, Allar broke his ankle, and the Nittany Lions lost to Northwestern. Shortly after, Franklin was fired from the position he held for 11 seasons.
How to blow up a program in three weeks.
But not only that, one former Penn State assistant coach felt like Allar’s career as the quarterback in Happy Valley left much to be desired.
“If he were at Ohio State, he’d probably win the Heisman Trophy,” he said. “He has it all. Nobody works harder than that kid. My heart breaks for that kid.”
However, a different staffer believed that Allar would get in his head way too much causing a myriad of mental mistakes.
“I think Drew was the wrong horse. I think he misses reads and gets nervous.”
Both statements can be very true. Allar was the first five-star quarterback to sign on with Franklin as the coach. He has all the tools, standing atop 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, with incredible arm strength, and the precision of a brain surgeon.
The difference is, the mental mishaps are precisely why he’s not at the operating table.
You can have all the talent in the world, but if you’re not utilizing that talent to the fullest potential, then you’re nothing more than a backup quarterback in the NFL.
And there’s nothing wrong with that!
But given how much hype Allar had coming into the season, with many mock drafts projecting him to go in the top-10, one would think that he’s leaving money on the table when he’s not dialed in at all times.
Heisman Trophy talent? Sure. Heisman Trophy mentality? With all due respect to the young man – not necessarily.