CFB analyst skeptical of $3.1 million NIL worth Drew Allar's ability to elevate Penn State

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was one of coach James Franklin's most important players as the Nittany Lions missed out on a chance to win the Big Ten championship and reach the national championship game. Allar had the chance to declare for the 2025 NFL draft but he opted for an extra year in college football.

During Monday's segment of the "Cover 3 College Football" podcast, analyst Daniel Gallen pointed out the $3.1 million NIL-valued Allar's (as per On3) record in big games as a concern for the Nittany Lions going into next season.

"I can see with Allar if he takes these incremental little steps you can really see him raise his game," Gallen said (2:00). "But I think the one thing that it comes back to is, 'How is he gonna perform in these big games? What is he gonna do when Oregon comes to the Stadium in September? What is he gonna do in Columbus against Ohio State in early November? And then the post-season games.

"I think you look at what he did last year, his completion percentage I believe was 71% at the end of the fall game in the regular season and that dropped five points over the course of the four postseason games. Things just weren't quite as crisp and then you saw the back-breaking decisions show up. I think this was a knock on Allar coming out of his first year in 2023."

In Penn State's biggest game of the season against coach Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl, Drew Allar completed 12-of-23 passes for 135 yards, one interception and no touchdowns in a narrow 27-24 loss.

Drew Allar gets high ranking from analyst

Last season, Drew Allar tallied 3,327 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions while adding 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns to propel Penn State to the Orange Bowl, where they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

During Saturday's segment of "Always College Football," ESPN analyst Greg McElroy ranked Allar No. 4 among college football quarterbacks. He broke down why the Nittany Lions' QB had staked his claim to be included among the elite.

“If you look at where Drew Allar was last year, there were some aspects of his game the year before that I really liked,” McElroy said. “He’s smart. He’s taking what the defense gives him. He’s not taking any unnecessary risks. But then you go back and you watch him, you’re like, ‘Well, he’s got plenty of arm. His weapons are good enough. Why aren’t we pushing it down the field?’

“Then, last year, with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, you saw them start to take the top off the defense with a lot more regularity… But, Drew Allar, his confidence grew as the season went along. He’s already a very efficient player, but now he’s an efficient player to every corner of the field.”

After the Nittany Lions fell short of winning the big games last season, Drew Allar will be under pressure to lead James Franklin's team over the hump next season.