Drew Allar under pressure in 2023 with Penn State's complete roster

After four seasons, Penn State will have a new starting quarterback this fall in sophomore Drew Allar. That opportunity already comes with a lot of pressure but, in the opinion of On3’s JD PicKell, it comes with even more considering the context of what’s available to the Nittany Lions.

PicKell opened a recent edition of ‘The Hard Count’ by discussing the pressure on Allar in 2023. He said that the quarterback spot is one of the last positions left, if not the only position, to be adequately filled at Penn State. With all the talent around him, PicKell said it’s on Allar to prove that he’s that last piece that they’ve been looking for.

“One of the top guys that has pressure on him to perform and elevate his team in 2023 is none other than Penn State quarterback Drew Allar,” PicKell said. “Now, Drew Allar? Five-star kid coming out of high school, a ton of buzz when he got to state college.”

“The reason why there’s so much pressure on Drew Allar is because everything else at Penn State? (It’s) all systems go. Everything else is looking good to go with, maybe, the exception of the wide receiver group,” continued PicKell. “Everything else is built out. James Franklin came on this very show last week and (said), ‘Look, I don’t know if I’ve had a defense be this talented and this deep in a long time.’ You look at that stable in the backfield? Those dudes can tote the rock like nobody’s business. James Franklin said he thinks they’ve got a chance to be better on the offensive line. And last year’s team was no slouch either. They only lost two games, they won the Rose Bowl. And everybody around State College expects Penn State to be better. Why? Because Drew Allar is supposed to be that missing piece.”

As a freshman last season, Allar threw 60 passes as Sean Clifford’s backup. He completed 35 of those for 344 yards and four touchdowns. Now, with Clifford’s career over, PicKell believes Allar will truly be able to step in and shine with his God-given ability as a quarterback.

“They loved Sean Clifford,” said PicKell. “Get Sean Clifford a freaking statue outside of Beaver Stadium for what he did for Penn State, for how long he was at Penn State. But, even with that being said, Drew Allar has got a freaking hose for an arm. He can stretch the field vertically, he adds a little bit more oomph to what you can do offensively.”

“Sean Clifford? You love him,” PicKell explained. “Now you plug in a guy like Drew Allar who, just to be real with you, has more natural ability, more of what God gives you than what Sean Clifford had physically? There’s the excitement of now’s the time. (They) got the defense, got the backfield, got the offensive line. The time is now at Penn State.”

Penn State has found itself in a form of no man’s land. They seem to be far better than most of the Big Ten yet still not on the level of Michigan or Ohio State. For PicKell, that’s where Allar comes in. If he succeeds, PicKell believes he can get them back on that playing field. However, if Allar doesn’t, he says the fan base around University Park could have an easy target, which is why he believes so much pressure is upon him in the first place.

“If Drew Allar and Penn State underachieve? The natural response will be pointing the finger at Drew Allar,” PicKell said. “Whether that’s fair or not, I’m just telling you I think that’s the reality you’re living in right now. So there’s a ton of pressure for Drew Allar to elevate Penn State and get them over that hump.”