James Franklin assesses development of Drew Allar, other Penn State quarterbacks this year

Drew Allar was in the Lasch Building at 6:30 a.m. Monday watching film. That’s what he does.

He’s a “morning guy,” according to longtime Penn State head coach James Franklin.

Franklin is pleased with Allar’s development this season under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, both of whom are in their first seasons in those roles with the Nittany Lions. Kotelnicki came over from Kansas, where he was the OC from 2021-23, and O’Brien served as an offensive analyst for Penn State in 2021-22 before working as an offensive graduate assistant last year.

“I think Drew looks consistently comfortable and in control in the games,” Franklin said Monday. “I think probably the biggest thing for him that I’ve noticed is his mobility, I think has been a huge factor for him and for our offense, especially vertical scrambles up in the pocket.”

While backup and change-of-pace quarterback Beau Pribula, Allar’s classmate, is known for his ability to put defenses in a tizzy with his legs, Allar is a dual threat, too.

He’s netted 172 yards on ground to go along with three rushing touchdowns this season. The junior has scrambled for 192 yards this year, according to Pro Football Focus, with 11 first downs gained and seven missed tackles forced on those scrambles. It’s important to note that Allar has been sacked 10 times in 2024, so that’s where a bunch of that rushing yardage has gone.

Allar has also notably bumped his completion percentage up to 70.3%. Last year, he hit on only 59.9% of his throws while recording five games with a sub-50% completion percentage. This time around, he’s completed at least 60% of his passes in every contest for a Nittany Lions squad that’s currently No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Allar isn’t the only quarterback making strides under Kotelnicki and O’Brien.

Franklin spoke about the time Pribula has poured in as well. That certainly paid off when he had to fill for an injured Allar in the second half against Wisconsin during Week 9. That night, under the lights of Camp Randall Stadium, Pribula completing 11-of-13 passes for 98 yards and added 26 yards on the ground, helping lead the Nittany Lions out of a three-point halftime hole and to a 28-13 win.

Franklin mentioned true freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, too, plus redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik. Grunkemeyer was the No. 9 quarterback in the 2024 class, and Smolik was the No. 36 quarterback in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

“I think Grunk has really turned it on here recently, and then hopefully Smolik will be available again to us here very, very soon and looks great. But I just think it’s a combination. … They’re a year older in their college experience. They’ve watched a ton of film. In some ways, playing in multiple schemes is helpful.”

Franklin continued: “I think one of the things that’s attractive to our quarterbacks as well as the quarterbacks that we’re recruiting is [Kotelnicki’s offense is] probably more of a pro-style system, in terms of the huddle, in terms of the play calls. Now, that’s changed — a lot of NFL teams are running spread schemes right now. So it’s kind of more of a combination of all these different things, whether it’s two backs or heavy sets or no backs, or whatever it may be.

“But I just think they’re a year older. I think they’re more comfortable and confident. I think they have a better understanding of how to watch film and how to prepare.”