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Where should Drew Allar rank among top returning passers? Analysts differ on the Penn State senior

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•04/14/25•

GregPickel

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Drew Allar. (Pickel/BWI)

Drew Allar enters his senior season at Penn State as one of college football’s top players. He also might be the sport’s most polarizing one. A new round of returning quarterback rankings is just the latest example of that. Various national analysts can at least agree that the third-year starter is among the top 10 returning passers in the country. Where he falls between Nos. 1 and 10, however, is a matter of perspective.

For On3, Ari Wasserman puts the Ohio native at No. 9.

You may look at similar lists and see Allar’s name higher. Maybe they’re right and I’m wrong. But the thing I tried to do in making this list is to try to separate the best NFL Draft prospects from who are the best college quarterbacks right now,” Wasserman writes. “And while we’ve seen flashes of Allar at his peak — the Big Ten title game comes to mind — we also have yet to see him hit the gear we’ve all expected him to hit. This could be an embarrassingly wrong ranking come November given Penn State is going to be a monster, but Allar would probably tell you himself that he has a long way to go before fully arriving.”

On3’s Andy Staples, then, has Allar two rungs higher at No. 7.

“He has an ideal blend of size, arm strength and athleticism,” Staples writes. “But for whatever reason he hasn’t come close to his potential. Perhaps that’s because Penn State’s receivers have been subpar in his time there. Or perhaps Allar lacks the type of instincts that elevate QBs from good to spectacular. 

“Make no mistake: Allar already is a good college QB. But he can be so much more, and that’s what we’re waiting to see.”

Trimmings: Penn State football camp intel, O-Line culture and 2026 QB recruiting

Others are taking a stance that the Penn State quarterback will show everyone what they’ve long been hoping to see in 2025. Adam Rittenberg of ESPN puts Allar at No. 2 on his list of top college quarterbacks in 2025, as does Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports.

“The missing piece, of course, is better performances in the biggest games, an area in which Allar has fallen short,” Rittenberg writes. “But a third year as the starter and second under coordinator Andy Kotelnicki should propel him toward a big 2025 season.”

Adds Fornelli:

“If he’s able to step up and perform in the big moments, I’m not sure there’s any question about who the best QB in the country will be.”

The discourse around Allar, and Penn State, in 2025 cannot change until games are played in the fall. Big things are expected. But, seeing is also believing. It means that this conversation will continue until the passer and his team either showcase gains across the board or struggle following a weak non-conference schedule.

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