Former Penn State QB Drew Allar is turning heads early at the Pittsburgh Steelers' Training Camp.
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has had quite the tumultuous last 12 months. This time last year, he had just turned down the chance to be a first-round pick after losing to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinal.
He had turned his attention to winning the National Championship with one of the most loaded rosters in America. Vibes were high in Happy Valley.
They didn't last long, as after the first three games of the year, when they beat teams who were significantly inferior to them, but not in convincing fashion. Then, Big Ten play began, and the wheels fell off.
A heartbreaking loss to Oregon in double overtime, followed by a ridiculous loss to UCLA, only to be one-upped by an equally insane loss to Northwestern. In that loss, Allar broke his ankle and went from the top of the mountain all the way to the bottom of it.
The falloff was significant. Allar went from likely a top-15 pick in the 2025 draft to a major, major risk in the 2026 draft. The result was a fourth-round selection to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team he grew up hating from Cleveland, Ohio.
After the dust settled, Allar settled in. Rookie minicamp and OTA's were just okay for the rookie leading up to a critical Training Camp.
It is safe to say that Allar took his opportunity by the horns. All reports out of camp are that Allar has completely dominated as the signal-caller. He has looked confident behind center, and the ball is seemingly jumping out of his hands.
He is also getting the opportunity to learn from one of the all-time greats in Aaron Rodgers. Say what you will about Rodgers, but he has always been known to be a solid teammate and mentor.
It was always reported that he didn't have good relationships with his backups, but the actual people going through those situations have always said the exact opposite.
Now, as Rodgers is heading out of the league, he has the opportunity to mentor the young Allar and teach him the ways of being a great quarterback.
It is up to Allar to take it all in and so far, he is doing it.
Allar is in a huge competition with former Ohio State Buckeye Will Howard who was a sixth round pick last year. The two faced off once in 2025, when Howard and the Buckeyes stole one from Allar's Nittany Lions.
Now, as teammates, they are battling to be the future signal-caller in Pittsburgh. So far, it seems like a neck-and-neck battle, one that is showing that maybe the Steelers found an absolute diamond in the rough with Allar in the fourth round.
There is still a lot of improvement to make, but Allar is off to a great start. He must keep it up, and maybe there is a future where he is the main guy under center in western Pennsylvania.
