James Franklin credits growth of Drew Allar after Fiesta Bowl win

The Penn State Nittany Lions are in their first season making the College Football Playoff. After winning the Fiesta Bowl and advancing to the CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl, head coach James Franklin knows it would be difficult to get to this point without quarterback Drew Allar.

Franklin recently praised Allar for how he played in the Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State and for the quarterback he’s become during his three seasons within the Penn State program.

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“They get better, right,” James Franklin said. “Last year, he was a first-year starter, won a bunch of games, and did some really good things. His touchdown to interception ratio is phenomenal. Obviously, when this guy gets turnovers and puts the ball back in the offense’s hand, this guy, more times than not, you can just chuck it up to him and he’s going to come down with it. But Drew makes big-time throws. He’s a big-bodied kid. He’s able to make plays with his feet, which I think has been a huge part of his development and our offense’s growth. Drew’s had a phenomenal college career and I think it’s only going to get better. And we’re going to need that.”

Allar came to Penn State as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the third-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. In his time with the Nittany Lions, he has completed 63.2 percent of passes for 6,167 yards and 53 touchdowns, with only nine interceptions.

In the Fiesta Bowl itself, Allar made several big plays to help Penn State jump out to an early lead and then build on that lead later in the game.

“But, yeah, makes big-time throws,” Franklin said. “Obviously, we started out the game on fire and then we made things more difficult than it needed to be with penalties and things like that. There was a ton of penalties in this game, really for both teams. So, we made it a little bit harder than it needed to be.”

Now, Franklin and Allar are turning their attention to another major test. The Nittany Lions will play Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl with a trip to the National Championship Game on the line. There, Allar will face one of the best secondaries in all of college football.

Mel Kiper adds fuel to Drew Allar 2025 NFL Draft speculation fire

Allar announced he would return to Penn State in 2025 for his senior season. However, after his Fiesta Bowl performance, there has been speculation he could be a high NFL Draft pick. Now, Mel Kiper Jr. has added fuel to that speculation.

“I would say the Giants would be the Shedeur spot and I think Cleveland could take Travis Hunter (and) go in a different direction,” Kiper said on Unsportsmanlike. “I really think, we talked about Drew Allar, what’s his decision going to be after the next game or two?”

Given that Allar isn’t going into this NFL Draft, it’s interesting to mention his name at all. Certainly, fans have noticed that and it has added to some speculation about his future.