Drew Allar injury update: James Franklin reveals status, preparation plan vs. Ohio State

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar missed the second half of a 28-13 win at Wisconsin with a left leg injury. Beau Pribula filled in for Allar and led the Nittany Lions past the Badgers, erasing a three-point halftime deficit and completing 11-of-13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, not to mention the 28 yards he added on the ground.

Head coach James Franklin provided an update on Allar’s status Monday ahead of a top-four showdown between No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State, which is set for a 12 p.m. kickoff in Beaver Stadium.

“I think he’s played enough football for us that, that timeline will go all the way up to the game, really,” Franklin said, when asked what he’ll need to see from Allar this week before he makes a decision about who will start at quarterback versus the Buckeyes. “I do think, from a practice perspective, no matter where we’re at on Tuesday, we’re going to have to get both of those guys reps Tuesday and Wednesday. But it’s too early to tell at this point.

“But [Drew’s] played enough football that I think that decision will go all the way up to game time. The reality is, we’re going to have to have both guys ready — and you could even make the argument all three guys ready, which is challenging to do in a game week.”

Franklin noted that he’s already had conversations with quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki about those contingency plans.

Franklin reiterated: “But I do think Drew has played enough football that it’ll go all the way up to game time till we make that decision.”

Allar is a Medina, Ohio, native and a former five-star prospect who arrived at Penn State as the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 3 quarterback in the 2022 class.

Last year on the road against Ohio State, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Allar struggled, completing a season-low 42.9% of his throws, in other words 18-of-42 pass attempts, while his Nittany Lions converted a combined 2-of-19 third and fourth downs in a 20-12 defeat.

In 2023, Allar’s first season as Penn State’s starting quarterback, he registered an impressive 25:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio but posted a sub-50% completion percentage in five games. He’s been much more accurate and confident this season.

Allar already has 10 completions of 20-plus air yards in 2024, one shy of his 2023 total in that depth, according to Pro Football Focus. Plus, he’s sixth among qualifying FBS passers with a 71.3% completion percentage.

Allar has thrown for 1,640 yards while recording 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions during the Nittany Lions’ 7-0 start. He’s yet to complete less than 64.7% of his passes in a game this season. Most notably, he orchestrated a 14-point comeback at USC in Week 7, finishing the overtime win with 423 total yards (391 passing and 32 rushing).

A dual threat, Allar has carried the ball 34 times for 129 yards and a trio of touchdowns this year.

Pribula and Allar are part of the same Penn State class. Pribula has backed up Allar the last two years, at times providing the offense a change of pace with his athleticism.

During that two-season span, the redshirt sophomore has completed 29-of-44 passes (65.9%) while throwing for 349 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception. He’s also piled up 77 rushing attempts, 462 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in his career.