Believe it or not, we are already a quarter of the way through the 2025 college football season, and there have been a lot of surprises thus far, both positive and negative. When it comes to quarterback play nationally, we will always hyperfocus on their performances, and we should. 

As the most important position in sports, quarterbacks will be constantly up for praise and scrutiny. ESPN writer Bill Connelly did just that, dissecting the quarterback landscape a quarter of the way through the season. He ranked all Power Four signal callers based on advanced metrics and the eye test. 

Coming into the season, many expected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar to take a massive jump. Entering his third year as a starter, we have seen moments of impressive play from the 6-5, 235-pound signal-caller, but it has been way too inconsistent. The Nittany Lions spent the offseason reshaping the offense around Allar, but the results haven’t been pretty so far. 

In Connelly’s quarterback ranking, Allar came in at No. 55. That is, obviously, not where many thought Allar would be this time of the year, especially with three of four games being against cupcakes. Here is what Connelly wrote about Allar and his placement in his ranking. 

55. Drew Allar, Penn State

Total QBR: 48.4 | Pass Yds: 763 | Rush Yds: 86 | Total TDs: 6

In one drive against Oregon, with Penn State down 14, Allar completed three passes for 56 yards and a beautiful touchdown lob. The rest of the game, he went 11-of-22 for 81 yards and a game-clinching pick. His big-game production is a known issue, but he hasn’t really produced against anyone, throwing few deep balls and averaging 10.8 yards per completion. This has not yet become the breakthrough year Allar hoped for.

The truth about Drew Allar 

Since the moment Allar stepped foot on campus in Happy Valley, and even back to his high school days, the word most used to describe him has been “potential,” which can be a compliment and a curse at times. With the arm strength and frame Allar possesses, he has all the physical attributes you would want for a future high-round NFL Draft pick. That just hasn’t been the player that the Nittany Lions have gotten. 

With this being the fourth year that Allar has been a part of this program, observers hoped that word would be used less and less. While potential is great, at some point, it needs to turn into on-field production. It needs to actualize itself on the field. 

Following the loss to the Oregon Ducks this past weekend, Allar has now thrown for 763 yards on the season, including six touchdowns against two interceptions. Allar is also completing only 62.8 percent of his passes, while averaging just 190.8 passing yards per game and 6.8 yards per attempt. Those aren’t the numbers anyone was hoping for. 

At some point, people might need to ask a simple question. Perhaps Allar isn’t that good a player? The numbers back that up, as do his performances in big games. Until Allar breaks through in one of those bigger moments, he will continue to face scrutiny just like his head coach, James Franklin.

Penn State Nittany Lions News

The Penn State Nittany Lion fanbase needs to focus on one important question following latest big game loss for HC James Franklin 

The Penn State Nittany Lions once again lost a big game last weekend. There is one major question that fans will need to start asking about HC James Franklin.

Ryan Roberts