James Franklin looking forward to Drew Allar’s growth in spring ball
Penn State Coach James Franklin watches as quarterback Drew Allar (15) participates in throwing drills before the start of the second half of the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon Saturday December 7, 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Nittany Lions are coming off a strong Playoff run, and return enough production, experience and leadership at the skill positions to encourage their head coach this spring.
Although Penn State lost All-American tight end Tyler Warren to the NFL, there is enough star power at running back, wide receiver, and most importantly, the quarterback position for James Franklin to have high hopes of reaching postseason glory again.
After all, Drew Allar led the Nittany Lions to a school-record, 13 victories last season, and they were one win away from playing for all of the marbles. Coming up short against Notre Dame in last season’s Playoff Semifinals, is more than enough motivation for the coaching staff and players to make another run this fall.
And it all starts in spring ball, where the Nittany Lions are looking to pick up where they left off. Despite last season’s success, Franklin is expecting big strides from Allar and the offense. The 1th-year coach believes Allar has room for improvement in plenty of areas that’ll be critical if he intends on leading the program back to the promised land.
“He (Allar) needs to take another step this year, which I think he’s doing every single year that he’s been here,” Franklin said. “He needs to take another step when it comes to his mobility, leadership, completion percentage, touchdown-interception ratio, it’s really all of it.”
Allar has thrown for 5,958 yards, 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over the past two seasons, so it’s mind-boggling that Franklin feels his gunslinger has a higher ceiling. With two 1,000-yard rushers in the backfield, plus the addition of former Troy All-Sun Belt wideout Devonte Ross out of the portal, Franklin is confident Allar has the tools he needs to take the offense to the next level.
“The thing that’s exciting about Drew, you guys see him he maybe six-foot-five, 235 pounds, but he still got a lot of growth and development, he’s a young kid,” the 11th-year coach said. “He puts in a ton of time, and knows how to prepare the right way, both mentally and physically.”
Allar will also be in year two of operating Andy Kotelnicki’s system, so everything should run much smoother. Having 1,000-yard receiver Ross in the arsenal now, as well as Kyron Hudson out of USC, will help Penn State’s aerial attack tremendously. It’s no mystery that Ross has the ability to stretch the field on opposing defenses, and Hudson caught 38 passes for 462 yards and three touchdowns with the Trojans in 2024.
Franklin understands that Warren left a void on the offense. Which is why building chemistry with all of the receivers, and tight ends will be crucial for Allar’s development over the next few weeks. A lot of that responsibility will fall in the hands of Quarterbacks Coach Danny O’Brien, who Franklin feels is making a big impact on Allar’s maturation process.
Being a leader, and having to execute at a high level isn’t easy, but Franklin remains confident that Allar has the support from his teammates, and coaching staff to deliver positive results.
“I think Danny does a great job with him, and the room challenges him as well,” he said. “When you bring in new pieces like the two new wideouts we brought in, that puts him in a position to coach, and get those guys ready.”
All roads lead to Penn State’s annual Blue-White Game, which Franklin plans on having the traditional way, with a couple of tweaks to shorten the time length of the event. At this point Allar has nothing to prove to the fans. However, being able to show how far the offense has come along to the thousands of the spectators that’ll pack Beaver Stadium on April 26, will go a long way.
