Penn State Reacts to Drew Allar News on Monday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are coming off a season of growth — but also heartbreak — after falling just short in a hard-fought College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame.
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With 33 seconds remaining in that game, quarterback Drew Allar threw a costly interception that set up the Fighting Irish for a game-winning field goal. That’s not the ending Allar was willing to accept. He returned for his senior season, and expectations are higher than they’ve been in years for coach James Franklin’s program.
On Monday, Penn State shared the news Allar has been named to the Walter Camp Award watch list. The honor is given annually to college football’s Player of the Year. He is joined on the watch list by standout running back Nicholas Singleton
“Walter Camp Award Watch List,” Penn State wrote. “Presented annually to College Football’s Player of the Year.”
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Over the last two seasons as Penn State’s starting quarterback, Allar has thrown for a combined 49 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In 2024, he completed 66.5% of his passes for 3,327 yards across 16 games.
Allar recently received high praise from Franklin, who noted his journey from a three-star recruit to a four-year player and soon-to-be three-year starter — highlighting the quarterback’s development and leadership heading into his senior season.
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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar finds himself ranked among the top 10 signal-callers in college football.
© Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images© Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images
“I’m just proud of him. Drew has made tremendous growth every single year, all the way back to recruiting,” Franklin said. “I don’t know if a lot of people remember, but Drew, when we first started recruiting him, was a three-star recruit, kind of a throwback recruit. Kept getting better, kept moving up the charts.
“He’s made significant leaps every year and we expect him to take another significant leap this year. Most people had him projected as a first-round draft choice last year and he decided to come back to school. Unfinished business, collectively, as a team, but also as an individual. I’m a big Drew fan.”
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Related: Penn State James Franklin Addresses National Media’s High Expectations
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
