Tag: Drew Allar

The hiring of Jim Knowles leaves no excuses left for Penn State’s James Franklin

Penn State just made DC Jim Knowles the highest-paid coordinator in college football. With him now on the staff, James Franklin has no excuses left not to win a title.

After losing defensive coordinator Tom Allen to the Clemson Tigers, Penn State coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] needed to find a replacement capable of keeping the defense at a championship level. It’s safe to say he accomplished that goal. Ohio State DC [autotag]Jim Knowles[/autotag] helped make the Buckeyes defense one of the best in the country this season, and he will now try and do the same in Happy Valley after signing a three-year contract with Penn State.

The deal is for $3.1 million per season, making him the highest-paid coordinator in college football. Now with Knowles and offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag], Penn State has two highly successful coordinators who should be able to elevate the elite talent that they bring in year after year.

It also leaves no excuses for Franklin to finally get over the hump and bring home Penn State’s first National Championship since 1986. They already were one game away from playing for a title this season and will retain most of their key players for 2025. Quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton all chose to return despite NFL interest.

That combined with plenty of young players ready to step into bigger roles, and Franklin knows the time is now to change the perception of his career in Happy Valley. Big games have been his kryptonite, particularly against conference opponents. Prying the coordinator away from perhaps his biggest nemesis was a bold and potentially key move that will help alleviate that issue.

Knowles’ defense was admittedly not always great in tough games, but their playoff run and overall season this year highlighted what he is capable of with the right talent. Few teams possess the amount of athletes that Penn State routinely has waiting for their opportunity to play, so talent won’t be an issue.

Adding a coach fresh off of winning a National Championship is also never a bad thing, as he got to experience what it’s like to make it through the new playoff format. As smart of a move as it seems on the surface, however, Franklin once again has zero excuses left not to win the biggest games of the year. I am sure both teams are even more fired up to face each other this November.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Where does ESPN rank Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class three years later?

Where would Penn State’s Class of 2022 rank if evaluated today?

Penn State had its best run at a National Championship in two decades this season, making it to the playoff semifinals before falling short against Notre Dame. Like most teams even in the new NIL landscape of college football, their success can be primarily attributed to excellent recruiting classes over the last few seasons.

Coach James Franklin has been criticized for many things during his tenure, but one thing nobody can say is that he isn’t a phenomenal recruiter. His classes have ranked inside the top 20 every season since 2015 according to 247Sports. That consistent success in recruiting has led to six double-digit win seasons during his time as head coach.

Of all his great classes, the 2022 class has been the lynchpin of their most successful stretch in decades. ESPN’s Craig Haubert recently looked back at the 2022 class and reranked them, listing Penn State’s class as the second-best in the country. Only fellow Big Ten powerhouse Michigan ranks above them on his list.

The class makes up most of Penn State’s best players from this past season. Quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], defensive ends [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and Dani Dennis-Sutton, safety [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag], and offensive linemen Drew Shelton and Vega Ioane are some impact players from a stacked group. That’s without factoring in transfers Chop Robinson, Hunter Nourzad, and Mitchell Tinsley, all of whom are currently in or at some point made the NFL.

Other contributors like corner Cam Miller, QB Beau Pribula, defensive lineman Zane Durant, and receiver Omari Evans round out a tremendous class. Not every player was able to make a huge impact, but several home run signings have elevated the program to the heights they are enjoying now.

With Allar, Singleton, Allen, Dennis-Sutton, Shelton, and others returning for 2025, the 2022 class still has time to add even more to their already impressive resume. With some believing that Penn State could be the top team in the country next season, a National Championship could be what makes this class one of the best to ever come through Happy Valley.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Where does Drew Allar rank among potential 2025 Heisman candidates?

Drew Allar is looking to improve upon a strong 2024 season after returning to Penn State for the 2025 season. Could he become a Heisman candidate?

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar may have had a disastrous end to his second season as the team’s starting QB, but his overall performance was a significant leap from his 2023 season. He made strides in almost every statistical category, most notably his completion percentage (59.9% to 66.5%) and yards per pass attempt (6.8 to 8.4).

Watching him this season, it was also clear that he was much more poised in the pocket and made better use of his legs. He routinely avoided sacks and ran when the defense gave him openings. According to Pro Football Focus, he ran for 36 first downs in 2024 compared to 31 in 2023. That added element of his game helped the offense prolong drives and stay ahead of the chains.

With all of his improvements from 2024 and his announcement that he will be returning to Penn State for another season, expectations are understandably high for Allar in 2025. So much so that he is one of the top betting favorites for the Heisman Trophy according to 247Sports. The odds come from FanDuel, and they have Allar fifth in voting odds at +1300.

Those odds rank second among Big Ten players, right behind Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith at +1200. There are plenty of reasons to believe Allar could contend for a spot as a Heisman finalist. It will be his second season in Andy Kotelnicki’s creative offense, which should mean an even better understanding of how to create explosive plays.

He also won’t have to share snaps with former backup QB Beau Pribula, who transferred to Missouri after being a significant part of the offense the last two seasons. Running backs Nick Singleton and Katron Allen are joining him by returning for a final season in 2025, so the running game should remain a strength.

Everything is lining up for Allar to have his most productive season in 2025, with the only major question being how to replace Tyler Warren’s production as a receiver. Penn State has plenty of talented tight ends ready to step into his role, but it will take multiple players to make up for his departure. As long as they can get enough out of the skill players, Allar will have a chance to be Penn State’s second-ever Heisman winner.

Top 10 moments from Penn State’s 2024 season: Penn State plays for Big Ten championship (No. 3)

Penn State’s Big Ten championship game appearance was among the top highlights of the 2024 season.

With Penn State’s football season now officially in the books, now is a good time to start putting the whole season into perspective. Although the season ended with the Nittany Lions coming up just short of playing for a national championship, there were a lot of good moments to reflect on positively from the 2024 season that ended with a final record of 13-3. The shortcomings are well documented, but the highlights of the year should not be forgotten.

Going into the 2024 season opened the door to a brand new Big Ten and a new approach to how the championship game matchup would be determined. With the addition of four new schools with Oregon, UCLA, SUC, and Washington all coming over from the crumbling Pac-12, the Big Ten had a football membership of 18 members. That led to a removal of a divisional format and meant the top two teams in the final Big Ten standings would be given a spot in the Big Ten championship game. As far as Penn State was concerned, that removed the typical roadblocks of finishing in a divisional tie with Ohio State or Michigan to compete for a Big Ten title.

As long as Penn State could avoid slipping up in some of the potentially tricky road trips against USC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, then Penn State would be a strong Big Ten title contender as the season came to a close. The schedule did not include a game against defending national champion Michigan and managed to skip one of the preseason favorites, Oregon, in the regular season schedule that did include three games against new conference members. Of course, there was still the regular matchup with Ohio State, which did not go Penn State’s way yet again.

But Penn State won every other Big Ten game on its schedule, including those road games at USC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, while Ohio State lost a head-to-head matchup against Oregon and its regular-season finale against rival Micigan. With Ohio State falling into the two-loss category, Penn State slid ahead of the Buckeyes in the Big Ten standings to lock in a matchup with the Oregon Ducks, ranked no. 1 with an undefeated record coming into Indianapolis in early December.

[lawrence-related id=51773]

Despite a respectable showing from the offense, Penn State’s defense had an uncharacteristically off outing against the high-powered Ducks. Oregon marched right down the field on Penn State’s defense on each of its first three possessions for three touchdowns before the Nittany Lions could manage to force Oregon to punt the ball way. Oregon built a 28-10 lead on Penn State before a touchdown catch by [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] and a touchdown run by quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] helped close the gap before halftime. Penn State brought the game to within four points but a late Oregon field goal gave the favored Ducks a 31-24 lead going into halftime.

Penn State’s offense went scoreless in the third quarter while Oregon’s Tez Johnson put Oregon up by two scores going into the fourth quarter. That was ultimately enough of a lead to keep Penn State at arm’s length despite Penn State scoring a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

[autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] each ran for over 100 yards in the game and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] caught seven passes for 84 yards. Allar had three touchdown passes but was intercepted twice, with one of those picks coming in a bad spot and handing the Oregon offense the football at the Penn State 1-yard line, which quickly led to a touchdown. Penn State simply had no answers for Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson, who caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for four touchdowns without an interception.

Penn State may have come up short in the Big Ten championship, 45-37, but Penn State’s effort showed they were deserving of the Big Ten title shot and looked to be ready to make a good run in the upcoming College Football Playoff. The result may have helped Penn State hold on to one of the top four rankings from the College Football Playoff selection committee to give the Nittany Lions a chance to host a first-round game as the No. 6 seed.

As time would suggest, Penn State was the third-best team in the Big Ten in 2024 behind Oregon and Ohio State, but the makeup of the new Big Ten championship game format showed Penn State was a team to watch in the Big Ten title hunt with the way the schedule played out.

This was just Penn State’s second appearance in the Big Ten championship game, as they won their previous appearance in 2016 against Wisconsin.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Top 10 moments from Penn State’s 2024 season: Fighting for a clutch road win at Minnesota (No. 6)

Penn State’s road win at Minnesota helped save the 2024 season for the Nittany Lions.

With Penn State’s football season now officially in the books, now is a good time to start putting the whole season into perspective. Although the season ended with the Nittany Lions coming up just short of playing for a national championship, there were a lot of good moments to reflect on positively from the 2024 season that ended with a final record of 13-3. The shortcomings are well documented, but the highlights of the year should not be forgotten.

Penn State’s final road game of the season came at a time when the Nittany Lions were still in the mix for a spot in the Big Ten championship game but in need of some help outside of their control. But for any of that to come to fruition, the Nittany Lions still had to finish the regular season with wins against Minnesota and Maryland. A setback in either would wreck Penn State’s Big Ten hopes and be a critical blow to a shot at playing in the College Football Playoff.  A road trip to Minnesota was not to be taken lightly despite the Nittany Lions being the favorite.

Though the teams were different in 2024 than they were a few years ago, it was a road game at Minnesota that took Penn State off course for a Big Ten title shot and a chance at playing in the four-team College Football Playoff in 2019, and Penn State once again found themselves in a battle with the Gophers in late November with the season on the line.

[lawrence-related id=51053]

Penn State dug another early hole by going down 10-0 early in the second quarter before finally getting something going with the offense. A 45-yard touchdown pass from [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] to [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] got the Nittany Lions on the scoreboard and a 45-yard field goal from Ryan Barker got Penn State out of the 10-0 hole. Later in the quarter, Minnesota blocked a Penn State punt gave the Gophers the football at the Penn State 21-yard line, and Max Brosmer completed a pass to Jameson Geers for a quick touchdown on the first play of the short drive.

Not much had gone right for Penn State in the first half, but it looked as though the Nittany Lions would be able to get into halftime tied at 17-17, but the Gophers blocked Barker’s extra point attempt and returned it for two points to take a 19-16 lead into halftime.

Minnesota extended its lead to 22-16 with a field goal in the third quarter, but a Nicholas Singleton touchdown run of 12 yards in the third quarter gave Penn State a 23-22 lead, and a field goal early in the fourth quarter added to the lead and capitalized on a Minnesota fumble forced by [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag].

Minnesota threatened Penn State with a grueling 67-yard drive but was forced to settle for a short field goal after getting a 1st-and-goal from the Penn State seven-yard run. It ended up being the defensive stand of the year for Penn State because the offense never gave the football back to Minnesota for the final 5:48.

On 4th-and-1 from the Penn State 34-yard line, the Nittany Lions gambled with a fake punt and Luke Reynolds picked up 32 yards on the ground.

That led to another 4th-and-1 decision to go for it, although this time with a more traditional push up the middle from Allar with 2:12 to play from the Minnesota 25-yard line. Penn State completed one more 4th down conversion to close out the game when Allar connected with star tight end Tyler Warren, who fell to the ground rather than run up the score, and Penn State escaped with a well-earned 26-25 victory.

The win helped set the stage for its shot to play for the Big Ten championship, which came a week later with a win over Maryland following Michiagn’s upset win at Ohio State to knock the Buckeyes into the loss column for a second time in Big Ten play.

Penn State’s 2024 season was highlighted by its success on the road with road wins at West Virginia, USC, Wisconsin, and Minnesota all showing a different kind of Penn State team compared to previous seasons. Each road win provided different forms of adversity that needed to be responded to, especially in conference play. If not for those road wins, Penn State’s season may not have ended with a run into the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Potential Giants draft target, QB Drew Allar, returning to Penn State

Quarterback Drew Allar, who was a potential target of the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL draft, has opted to return to Penn State.

If the New York Giants fail to land Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders with the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, their backup options are beginning to dwindle.

A week after quarterback Carson Beck opted to return to college, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has now decided to do the same.

The Nittany Lions quarterback was starting to generate a significant buzz as one of the best available options behind Ward and Sanders, and the Giants had reportedly done “plenty of work” on him.

From Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer earlier this month:

They’ve had multiple live exposures for their top-end execs to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Miami’s Cam Ward, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’s Quinn Ewers, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart (all but Nussmeier have come out), and have done plenty of work on Penn State’s Drew Allar, too.

Even if the Giants sign or trade for a veteran quarterback this offseason, it remains likely that general manager Joe Schoen will take a quarterback in the draft.

Currently, the team has no quarterbacks under contract for 2025 but is expected to bring back Tommy DeVito, an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA). They’ll need to add at least three more — two for the 53-man roster and one for rookie minicamp.

[lawrence-related id=739294,739290,739284]

Penn State’s Kaytron Allen, Nicholas Singleton returning for 2025

Penn State star running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton are both returning to Happy Valley next season.

Penn State received a significant boost to its 2025 offense Monday afternoon when star running backs [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] announced on social media that they would be returning to the Nittany Lions for their senior seasons.

The duo, known as the “Lawn Boyz,” committed to Penn State in 2022, knowing they’d be working in tandem. The explosion of NIL across college football made it inevitable for one of the former five-star backs to find a home elsewhere where they could be the lead back. [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider pulled off the rare feat of keeping two starting running backs.

Singleton and Allen were arguably the nation’s top running back duos in the country after both hit the 1,000-yard mark this season. Allen rushed for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Singleton had a similar stat line, rushing for 1,009 yards with 12 touchdowns. Singleton showed his explosiveness, ranking fourth in the Big Ten with 6.4 yards per carry.

The running backs join starting quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] as three offensive stalwarts returning for 2025. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] will have one of college football’s top backfields entering next season.

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Local and fan favorite QB skips the NFL draft and heads back to school

The Medina, Ohio product will not become a Cleveland Brown this April

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar had Cleveland Browns fans worked up for a good two weeks before ultimately deciding to skip the 2025 NFL draft and head back to school for his senior season.

Throwing for over 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns this season, Allar took a stride forward with the Nittany Lions from his 2023 campaign. However, his body of work against top-tier opponents put the proof in the pudding, leading to a 2025 NFL draft quarterback class highlighted by just Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.

Against Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame combined, Allar threw for just a total of 172 yards per game, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. His body of work in the College Football Playoffs was not enough to change his mind, completing under 55 percent of his passes and failing to break 200 yards in a single of the three games.

Heading back to school was the right choice, even if Browns fans are yearning to draft the lifelong Browns fan from Medina, Ohio.

Top 10 moments from Penn State’s 2024 season: Rally for win at Wisconsin (No. 8)

Penn State’s road win at Wisconsin to remain undefeated was a testament to the grit of the Nittany Lions in 2024.

With Penn State’s football season now officially in the books, now is a good time to start putting the whole season into perspective. Although the season ended with the Nittany Lions coming up just short of playing for a national championship, there were a lot of good moments to reflect on positively from the 2024 season that ended with a final record of 13-3. The shortcomings are well documented, but the highlights of the year should not be forgotten.

Penn State faced some tricky road games during the 2024 season, and they passed each one for an unblemished road record during the regular season. Perhaps the most challenging portion of the schedule saw Penn State play back-to-back games on the road at USC and Wisconsin in the middle of the season just before hosting the game of the year against Ohio State. For Penn State to get through those two games without a loss was critical to Penn State’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff, as most anticipated a loss to Ohio State for one conference loss. But Penn State needed a strong second-half performance on the road in each to remain undefeated.

A week after an exhilarating road win at USC, Penn State had a slow start against an aggressive Wisconsin defense. The Badgers led the Nittany Lions 3-0 after the first quarter and took a 10-7 lead into halftime thanks to a late touchdown with a little over a minute to play in the first half. Quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] went to the locker room a little early to have his left knee checked out and he did not return to the game despite coming out with a brace on after halftime. Allar remained on the sideline and the offense was put in the hands of [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag].

With the offense still having a tough time getting things moving consistently, the Penn State defense came to the rescue in the third quarter. [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] had a 19-yard pick-six midway through the third quarter off of Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke, who was passing from his own end zone and third-and-14.

[lawrence-related id=49838]

Wisconsin did respond with a field goal drive on the ensuing possession to bring things to a one-point game, where it stood going into the fourth quarter. That is when Penn State took firm control of the game for good.

Penn State went on a 13-play drive spanning 81 yards and using up 7:35 ofthe  game clock (starting in the third quarter) and extended its lead with a short pass from Pribula to [autotag]Khalil Dinkins[/autotag]. The touchdown put Penn State up 21-13, and the defense forced a quick three-and-out on Wisconsin’s next possession, holding the Badgers to just three yards. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] put the game on ice with a 24-yard touchdown run on Penn State’s next possession, capping a 76-yard drive.

Wisconsin’s last chance to put points on the scoreboard had some promise as the Badgers put together a 15-play drive but a fourth down pass from the Penn State 15-yard line fell incomplete and Penn State ran off the remainder of the clock with a couple of runs by Allen to seal the win.

The win improved Penn State to 7-0 and the Nittany Lions picked up key road wins at West Virginia, USC, and Wisconsin along the way. The win set Penn State up for a great spot in the looming College Football Playoff picture, and helped keep them in the hunt for a spot in the Big Ten championship game down the line as they began preparing for a massive home game against Ohio State.

To come away with a road win at Wisconsin with a backup quarterback playing in the second half was a testament to how good this team really was. The defense put the clamps down and the running game helped lock up a win in a tricky environment to do so. This may not have been one of the best seasons for Wisconsin, but any time you can come away with a win in Madison is significant.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Top 10 moments from Penn State’s 2024 season: Season-opening win at West Virginia (No. 9)

Penn State’s season-opening win at West Virginia was a firm suggestion the 2024 season would be different.

With Penn State’s football season now officially in the books, now is a good time to start putting the whole season into perspective. Although the season ended with the Nittany Lions coming up just short of playing for a national championship, there were a lot of good moments to reflect on positively from the 2024 season that ended with a final record of 13-3. The shortcomings are well documented, but the highlights of the year should not be forgotten.

Penn State came into the 2024 season expected to be among the top teams in the nation with a very good chance to play in the College Football Playoff. But after a 2023 season saw Penn State once again lose all of its marquee games against Ohio State and Michigan in the regular season and against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, some felt a top-10 ranking was probably a tad optimistic for the Nittany Lions coming into the season. So right off the bat, Penn State was on a mission to prove it was worthy of the preseason hype.

The first test was expected to be a decent one with a road opener at West Virginia, the second game in a home-and-home series. Penn State won a fun game the year before at home to open up the 2023 season, but as we soon would learn, Penn State was clearly on a different level than West Virginia in 2024.

After a scoreless first quarter, the new big play offense came to life under new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag]. On the first play of the second quarter, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] connected for a 50-yard touchdown pass to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag] to open the scoring and cap a quick four-play, 84-yard drive. Penn State extended its lead five minutes later with [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] hauling in a pass from Allar for a 20-yard touchdown. West Virginia chipped away with a couple of field goals, but Penn State showed right in the first game of the season it was not going to be a team that would let time go to waste. If there was any shot at putting points on the scoreboard late in the half, they were going to go for it.

With 30 seconds remaining in the half after West Virginia’s second field goal, Penn State looked like it would simply run the clock out when [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] was stuffed for no gain on the first play of the drive. But then Allar hurried the offense to the line and completed a pass to [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] for a 55-yard gain to the West Virginia 18-yard line, seemingly leaving West Virginia’s defense scrambling and confused about what happened. Following a timeout, Allar again connected with Wallace for a touchdown, this time from 18 yards out. The quick score was a sign of things to come for Penn State, for better or worse, but showed the new-look offense was ready to achieve big things under Kotelnecki.

[lawrence-related id=47262]

Singleton did start his season on a big note with a 100-yard game right out of the gates after having to wait until the final game of the regular season in 2023 to finally break the century mark.

Penn State’s defense was also locked in. [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag] led the team with 12 tackles before his season unfortunately was cut short due to an injury the following week. [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] and [autotag]Zane Durant[/autotag] each had 1.5 sacks. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] was limited to just one tackle in his first game at his new position on the edge, but he would clearly have an impact all season long. Penn State forced three West Virginia turnovers and the Nittany Lion faithful took over Milan Puskar Stadium in the first game of the season.

Penn State opened the 2024 season with a well-earned 34-12 victory over West Virginia that was as dominant as the final score would suggest. And Penn State was just getting started. A game that could have been tricker than most expected proved to be just a good opening exercise for a Penn State team that was built like a playoff contender.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.