Penn State picked up another quarterback commitment in its Class of 2022 Monday morning with the addition of Ohio native Drew Allar.
Listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Allar only picked up an offer from the Nittany Lions at the end of January, so his recruitment moved fairly quickly, thanks in large part to offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. The Medina native first developed his relationship with Yurcich while he was still a member of the staff at Texas, and while that played a major role in his decision, Allar said it was the group effort from the entire coaching staff that made this the right pick for him.
“I think one of the main reasons is all the relationships I've built with all the coaches, not just Coach Yurcich. I've talked to so many coaches at Penn State, and I really enjoyed talking to every single one of them,” Allar said. “I’ve talked to Coach [James] Franklin a ton and I've gotten a lot of texts from all the other coaches. I like that. It made me feel super comfortable with the staff. They really got to know me, not just as a football player. They got to know me off the field and what I like to do when I'm not playing football and just stuff like that. I really appreciate that. It feels more like a family environment than just a straight football program. I really appreciate that.”
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Over the past six weeks, Allar has been one of the hottest quarterback prospects in the nation, adding offers from schools like Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Washington, among others. It was the offer from Notre Dame, which came at the end of February, that had many believing he may reevaluate some things. However, by then, Allar said he was already thinking about a commitment to Penn State.
“I’d say that probably the past week or two, I've really had that feeling,” Allar said. “I was still listening to other schools, just to reiterate to myself that Penn State is the right choice for me. I didn't want to cut it off too early and feel like I cornered myself into making a decision quicker than I wanted to, but over the past two weeks, I felt more and more confident each day.”
Allar also realized earlier in February that Penn State was, at the very least, one of his early favorites, which is why he and his family drove seven hours roundtrip to see State College on their own. Allar said that he loved the “true college feel” when he walked around University Park and the surrounding area.
“I enjoyed the visit so much,” he said. “It definitely felt right when I stepped out of my car and started walking around with my family.”
Joining York, Pa., native Beau Pribula, Allar will be the final quarterback commitment in this class as long as both players stick with the Nittany Lions throughout the summer and fall. He said he’s gotten to know Pribula a little bit in recent weeks, calling him, “a really nice guy and a phenomenal player.” He added that all of Penn State’s commits helped play a role in this commitment.
"I've actually been talking to Kaden [Saunders] for probably the past two weeks, just texting back and forth. I've talked to Ken Talley and Jerry Cross a lot, too, so they've all been texting me and stuff like that. I've definitely felt welcomed from all the commits," said Allar.
Now up to eight commitments, Penn State improves two spots from No. 8 to No. 6 in the Rivals 2022 Team Rankings.
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