Ryan Day enters Penn State matchup with a lot of respect for Drew Allar

Penn State feels like this year’s game against Ohio State is different, largely because of quarterback Drew Allar. A lot of the same pieces are there for James Franklin — the great defense, good offensive skill position pieces, and NFL-caliber offensive linemen. Now, they believe Allar can be why the Nittany Lions finally get over the hump.

Heading into the game, Ohio State’s Ryan Day stated how much respect he has for Allar. Being an in-state kid, there is a prior relationship, with Allar coming out of Medina (OH) High School. Day knows his defense will be going up against a good player.

“A lot of respect for him and his program,” Day said. “Certainly, being from the state of Ohio, he’s a very good player.”

Allar was a five-star prospect coming out of high school per the 2022 On3 Industry Rankings. A five-star quarterback out of Ohio not picking to play for the Buckeyes under Day? Yeah, it feels a little bit weird, especially when he wound up in at a direct Big Ten East rival.

Ohio State had a bit of a jammed quarterback room. Now Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was committed in the Buckeyes’ 2022 class before reclassifying and showing up on campus early. Current backup Devin Brown ultimately became Day’s guy in 2022.

Kyle McCord and Jack Miller were in Columbus as well while CJ Stroud served as the starter. Allar chose Penn State, completing another example of quarterback recruiting merry-go-round.

“He’s an Ohio kid that had a great career,” Day said. “We already had Quinn Ewers committed to us and it was a reclassification. At that point, he was already committed to Penn State.”

Drew Allar to playing biggest game of career to this point

With the kind of respect Day has for Allar, you can tell he believes the quarterback can put on a show Saturday against Ohio State. After spending one season as the backup and learning the ropes, it’s now his time to shine. But Allar has never walked into an atmosphere as a starter like Ohio Stadium. A completely new experience is heading his way.

Penn State, as a program, needs this win. Franklin does not have a ton of success against Ohio State, usually being around the time their College Football Playoff hopes die. The Buckeyes will certainly not be the final boss but they present themselves as a huge hurdle for Allar and the Nittany Lions.