Breaking down who can contribute to Penn State’s improved passing attack
Drew Allar has great upside as an NFL Draft prospect. At 6-foot-5, 238 pounds, he has prototypical size for the quarterback position. He has high-level arm talent and processing ability, too. He’s also yet to reach his potential.
While Allar registered an impressive 25:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year, he completed just 59.9% of his passes, including only 30.6% of his 20-plus-air-yard attempts, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s important to note that he probably didn’t get the help he needed. Penn State didn’t have a wide receiver with more than 673 receiving yards in 2023. What’s more, the Nittany Lions combined for 31 drops last year, the team’s most since 2019, according to PFF.
With coordinator Andy Kotelnicki now running the offense, Penn State’s hoping for a more explosive and consistent passing attack this season.
On3’s Kaiden Smith and Sean Fitz from Blue and White Illustrated discussed which Nittany Lions receivers can help Kotelnicki, and by extension Allar, achieve that feat in 2024.
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“You need guys to make plays,” Fitz said before kicking off his answer with his evaluation of transfer Julian Fleming, who started the last two seasons at Ohio State.
“I don’t know that Fleming is the guy that’s going to bust this thing open. I know people see the five stars from years ago, see that he comes from Ohio State. Right now, he’s three or four on the list, right behind [Harrison] ‘Trey’ Wallace III, Liam Clifford, [plus] Omari Evans has been in there.
“But, really, I think that’s the name that you’re going to look to is Trey Wallace. He’s got a ton of talent. He hasn’t been able to stay on the field. He’s been hurt a bunch over the last two years. And he’s one of those guys that if they can keep on the field, he can certainly make plays, but availability is the best ability. We will see what Penn State gets from from Trey Wallace. But I think that’s the name you look to in the passing game as, not the bailout guy but the certified No. 1, I guess you could say.”
During an injury-riddled 2023 season, Wallace appeared in just eight games as a redshirt sophomore. He started six of those outings and finished the year with 19 receptions for 228 yards and a touchdown. The year before that, the Pike Road High School product from Montgomery, Alabama, logged 19 catches for 273 receiving yards and another score. A former four-star prospect, Wallace was the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 36 wideout in the 2021 class.
Speaking of recruiting rankings, Fleming was once the top receiving prospect in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Injuries have held him back in his college career, however, he did stack 79 receptions for 963 receiving yards and seven touchdowns over his four years at Ohio State, where he also became a strong perimeter blocker.
“So it’ll be interesting to see what Fleming adds to the mix,” Fitz said. “He’s been solid, steady throughout his Ohio State days. But you know, I think that probably propped him up in the eyes of Penn State fans and maybe even nationally, of a guy that could take the passing game to the next level. I’m not sure that’s the case. So I’ll be very interested to see who emerges.”
Fitz continued: “Of course, Tyler Warren’s a really talented tight end. He’s on the Mackey watch list. He was kind of playing second fiddle to Theo Johnson and then Brenton Strange before him, but he can really play. Khalil Dinkins is the backup tight end that can help him.”
Fitz even noted how Penn State’s dynamic running back pairing of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen can assist Allar in the passing game as well. Singleton, especially, can be a threat in the slot, Fitz said. Singleton’s lined up there a combined 31 times over the last two seasons, according to PFF.
Whether it’s wideouts, tight ends or running backs, any spark in the passing game will go a long way for Allar in his third year with the program.