Penn State-bound Drew Allar showing why he’s QB No. 1 at All-American Bowl

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – With four of the top seven quarterbacks in the country playing in the All-American Bowl, the battle for the No. 1 spot in the final On3 rankings will largely depend on performances this week. But if Penn State signee Drew Allar continues to perform as he has through the first two practice sessions, then the debate might be already over.

Allar – the 6-foot-4 ½, 232-pound five-star signal-caller from Media, Ohio – currently ranks as the top quarterback in the country, according to On3. And Allar has lived up to that billing through the first two days of practice for the All-American Bowl.

Allar earned rave reviews after the first practices on Tuesday, and he was stellar once again on Wednesday.

Allar did well in the morning practice session for the East squad at Trinity University. But he really stepped things up when throwing against a talented group of West defensive backs in the afternoon practices inside the Almamodome.

“I definitely feel good about how I’ve done the first two days,” said Allar, who is the crown jewel of Penn State’s seventh-ranked recruiting class. “I’m getting more comfortable in the offense. Obviously, it’s a new offense and it’s a new system I have to learn. But, yeah, I’m getting more comfortable in it. I think everybody else is. So, the timing is getting down from the quarterback-receiver standpoint.

“And I’m just learning along the way.”

Drew Allar’s talent ‘pretty apparent’

If this is what it looks like when Drew Allar is learning, then look out for the rest of the week.

“He was clearly the top passer for the East Team for a second straight day, and his talent is pretty apparent,” Charles Power, On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings, said in his story about the top performers from Day 2 of the All-American Bowl.

“Blessed with elite arm talent, Drew Allar rips the ball all around the field effortlessly. He does so with a pretty consistent 90-degree arm angle. On air, the ball rarely hits the ground. The arm strength is apparent on square ins, skinny posts and deep outs.

“In the 7-on-7 setting during the joint practice, Allar ripped a perfectly timed deep out that was dropped by Barion Brown. He came back with a deep ball to Isaiah Bond for a score against attached coverage. Allar has changed ball speeds and trajectories this week with accuracy.”

Drew Allar threw for 4,444 yards and 48 touchdowns in his senior season at Medina High. He led his team to a 13-1 record. For his effort, he was named Mr. Football in Ohio and was the state’s Division I co-offensive player of the year. Penn State coach James Franklin is excited to have Allar on board.

“He’s a big kid that can stand in the pocket and deliver the ball,” Franklin said during his signing day news conference. “I think people underestimate his athleticism. He does a great job of making some of the plays that aren’t in the playbook in terms of extending plays and off-balance throws with unbelievable accuracy.

“He’s another kid that handled the process extremely well, is embracing the competition. He is excited about his future at Penn State.”

Big Ten-bound QBs battling for No. 1

Drew Allar’s main competition for that top spot in the quarterback rankings is Ohio State-bound four-star Devin Brown. The two future Big Ten rivals rank as the top quarterbacks currently in the On3 rankings.

Both have looked very good through the first two days of practices at the All-American Bowl.

Brown was named On3’s MVP for the West squad after Tuesday’s practices, and he was solid again Wednesday. Allar had high praise for Brown. He said he’s excited about the opportunity to battle it out of the right to be the top-ranked quarterback in the country.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Allar said about Brown. “I’m looking forward to playing against him on Saturday.”