You could see the disappointment in the face of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar after he threw a critical interception in the stages of the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, which ultimately led to a game-winning field goal by the Irish with just a few seconds remaining on the game clock. Allar clearly took the moment hard, realizing his mistake cost his team a shot at playing for a national championship. Of course, it was just one play in a 60-minute game that was just one moment that could have gone differently and led to a different result. It was the timing of the turnover that magnified the situation.
Will that moment be a motivating factor for Allar this offseason? According to Penn State head coach James Franklin, the experience of last season’s postseason run and knocking on the doorstep of the national championship game will serve his program well this offseason, including his returning starting quarterback.
“I think this experience this year will be helpful, very similar to what you’ve seen with other programs,” Franklin said in a recent press conference with the media. “We understand what it’s like. You have a plan, you have a routine, you kind of go back and do an after-action review about how things went as a program. The players do that as well and then you attack it. But the most important thing is that we use every experience we have, both positive and negative, to get better and grow. That’s what I see all of our guys doing, including Drew.”
Allar passed for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns in his second full season as the starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions. His interception count for the season was up from the previous season, although Allar had a notably higher completion percentage in 2024 compared to his first season as the starter. Allar also performed well overall in the postseason, starting with the Big Ten championship game against Oregon and the Fiesta Bowl victory over Boise State in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff. Allar made the decision to return for another season of football and put the NFL draft on hold, and his return to work another year with offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki could pay off for his future and for Penn State’s success in 2025.
Allar will not be the only key Penn State player coming back hoping to rebound from the postseason disappointment. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen will also be back next fall. Penn State also hired former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to coach the defense after losing Tom Allen to another opportunity with Clemson.
“I mean, obviously, you know when the season ends the way it does, you know, everybody’s disappointed, and there’s typically nobody more disappointed than the players themselves and the coaches because of how much time and effort you put into it,” Franklin said. “There’s only one program in college football that’s happy at the end of the season at this level and, obviously, the most important thing for all of us is that we learn from it and grow from it, and that’s what we’re all doing.”
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: James Franklin says Drew Allar will improve following CFP experience
