Pressure is on for Drew Allar in 2023

There’s no shortage of pressure on college athletes. The way a player like Penn State quarterback Drew Allar responds to that pressure can decide the fate of a program.

By all reports, Allar will be the starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions this season. The five-star shot caller rode the bench his freshman year behind Penn State legend Sean Clifford. With Clifford gone to the Packers, Allar’s hands are firmly on the wheel.

While controlling the destination of the vehicle is fun, it’s also stressful. On3 own’s JD PicKell discussed that stress on the most recent episode of “The Hard Count.”

“[Allar] is, if you’re a Penn State football fan, the savior of your program. Everything that you believe about Penn State football, in a positive manner, this coming season is likely supported by some sort of statement saying, ‘Well, we’re going to be better at quarterback,'” PicKell said.

It’s a fair expectation. During Penn State’s spring game in April, the 6-foot-5 quarterback completed 19-30 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. In limited minutes during his freshman season, Allar was equally fantastic, completing 35-60 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns.

The Ohio native is a stud. For that reason, PicKell gave Allar a 9.3 on his 10-point pressure scale. Nonetheless, PicKell believes Allar will love up to the hype.

“He’ll be just fine. I think he’ll be phenomenal for them, but he is the pressure point. He is the piece for Penn State that could unlock the rest of the potential on this roster,” PicKell said.

There’s plenty of potential. The Nittany Lions are returning 55% of their production offense while obviously adding Allar. On defense, Penn State looks even better. The program will return 75% of its defensive production, ranking 24th in the nation.

Talent like this is what makes Penn State fans believe the Nittany Lions can win the Big Ten this season, the first time since 2016. However, no matter how fantastic the rest of the roster is, the pressure falls on the man behind center.

“You have one of the best backfields in the country. You have a defense that James Franklin came on here and talked about having some of the best depth they’ve had in a long. Going to be better on the O-line,” PicKell said. “You start checking these boxes and you talk about what Penn State wants to achieve, which is a College Football Playoff berth and play for a national title, and you feel confident about that because what you assume Drew Allar is going to bring to the table.”