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Penn State already had a quarterback in the fold for the 2022 recruiting class.
But the Nittany Lions also just lost two scholarship signal-callers to the transfer portal. And they have a new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich, who didn’t waste time in finding someone who fit his system.
That would be Ohio quarterback Drew Allar, a four-star prospect out of Medina High School who publicly committed to the Lions on Monday morning, exactly two months after Penn State coach James Franklin made Yurcich’s hire official.
“Growing up in Ohio it has always been a dream of mine to have the opportunity to play and compete in the (Big Ten),” Allar wrote on Twitter. “With that being said, and after many great conversations with my family, I am very excited to say I’ll be committing to PENN STATE UNIVERSITY!
“Thank you to Coach Yurcich and Coach Franklin for believing in me enough to give me the opportunity to play football for such an incredible program!”
Allar joins Central York’s Beau Pribula as the second four-star quarterback in the Lions’ next signing class, as the program is down to three scholarship players at the position for the 2021 season — fifth-year junior Sean Clifford, third-year freshman Ta’Quan Roberson and newly arrived true freshman Christian Veilleux.
Will Levis and Micah Bowens hit the transfer portal in the offseason and have since enrolled at Kentucky and Oklahoma, respectively.
Assuming Allar signs with Penn State in December, he has a shot at being Franklin’s highest-rated quarterback recruit since taking over the program in 2014. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Allar has risen to the No. 6 pro-style prospect in the country for the 2022 cycle and the No. 89 recruit overall according to 247Sports.
The recruiting service just recently boosted Allar’s ranking based off review of some strong junior film (2,692 yards, 26 touchdowns) and delivered the following evaluation, which says he has the “traits to play on Sundays.”
“Has a strong arm with good velocity on his passes and high school offense allows him to make throws to every part of the field. Very good at off-platform throws and having to change arm angles to make throws without needing to set his feet. But can also stand in the pocket and deliver the ball on time. Seems to have a good understanding of timing and anticipation. Has smarts, work ethic and general intangibles.”
Interestingly, it also notes that while he can deliver the ball on the move, Allar “is not much of a running threat at this age,” which could signal a change in philosophy in quarterback recruiting under Yurcich.
Regardless, the Lions had to beat out the likes of Notre Dame and Michigan among other major programs to land a commitment from Allar.
And after signing a smaller class for the 2021 cycle that ranked just outside the top 20 nationally, the Lions’ early haul for 2022 is among the best in the country. Allar is the eighth member of the group, which now checks in at No. 5 nationally in the 247Sports Composite team rankings.