ATLANTA — The general perception most people have of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is that he is even-keeled, not often flustered and the sort of calming presence an offense needs to navigate the ups and downs of a game. Asked about the leadership style that his quarterback brings to the table, Penn State head coach James Franklin frequently points to such qualities with great enthusiasm.
Drew Allar: cool, calm and collected.
In many respects this is true. You can really only count on one hand the number of times Allar has looked visible frustrated on Penn State’s sideline during a game. Considering that the Nittany Lions have run a gauntlet of offensive performances, it’s perhaps a testament to Allar’s calm that inevitable frustrations haven’t bubbled up more frequently.
Enter the tao of Drew Allar and the growing ability to not let the last play impact the next.
“I really learned that in high school and middle school …,” Allar said this week during preparations for the Peach Bowl. “I would get kind of hot headed. Even though I might not be an emotional person on the field I definitely had my moments [in high school] where I kind of lost myself and I really saw how that affected my play in a negative way. So the way I learned to reset, is just to take a deep breath and just calm yourself down and just worry about the next possession or the next play. Forget about what happened in the past and no matter if it was good or bad. And just go out and keep keep executing your job.”
“In high school I found myself pressing a little bit, and even at times throughout this year where I missed some open throws where I usually don’t miss, I felt like it was because I was pressing just to make a big play happen. In reality you’ve just gotta take with defense gives you and be accurate with your location of the football and explosive plays will happen.”
There’s something to be said for learning that skill, something else to be said for teaching it. Who gets the credit for Allar’s transformation is ultimately a collection of family members and coaches both past and present, but much of it comes back to Medina head coach Larry Laird.
Because if high school football is anything, it’s as much about learning how to navigate the ups and downs of the game as much as it is the Xs and the Os.
“When you’re a kid, you’re a kid,” Laird told StateCollege.com “And he just has a big passion to win. He’s not a finished product yet, but when it comes to maturity, for him the big change when he was in high school was just being prepared. With preparation comes success. And for him, you start to stop seeing the temper tantrums, and him understanding that okay, I’m prepared.”
“I was one of those kids too,” Laird said with a laugh. “I was one of those kids that would throw the checkerboard when I lost and stuff like that. I don’t think he was quite that bad, but he’s just one of those people has a big passion for winning. And he will not be outworked. I mean, that’s really the attitude that he took in high school for us here at Medina.”
Sometimes to learn though you have to fail, or in the very least you need to realize that change needs to come. For Allar there wasn’t a moment or singular instance that began the change, but as he looked to turn into the player he has become today, there was a space for introspection. And a lot of time to do some watching. That’s what growing up is all about after all.
“I think when he really started to [grow] was when he was a sophomore and wasn’t the starting quarterback, I think he got the chance to do a lot of watching and learning,” Laird said. “The young man that was in front of him was pretty good and a pretty good leader and he got a chance to see that. And then it was like when he got his opportunities he was definitely prepared. Part of the reason he didn’t start at the beginning of his sophomore year – he wasn’t there mentally [and that changed.] I really think that he has grown up a lot in the last three years, and it definitely shows very proud of the grit and toughness, not only physically but mentally that he obviously displays on Saturdays. And I think that as that grows along with his physical skills, the sky’s the limit for him.”
Of course like any competitive person Allar has his moments. The challenge in a high-pressure world is to not get swallowed up by it. There’s also a skill to be had in learning how to lose and then forgetting about it. Allar was probably held to a higher standard than was ever reasonable heading into Penn State’s 2023 season, but as the Nittany Lions sit a win away from 11 victories on the year, it’s not as though the first year of the Drew Allar experience was a dud.
Nevertheless, no competitive person works hard to come in second.
“I don’t play football to lose games,” Allar said. “I go out to have fun, obviously, but having fun is winning. I just want to go out and win every game because I know how much I and my teammates put into this. We don’t take this responsibility lightly, just taking it day-by-day. After everything transpired after the Michigan game, the offense came together and said like look – this is how it is, we can either just sink the ship basically and lose everything that we’ve worked toward throughout the whole offseason or we can bounce back and regroup and finish the way we’re supposed to.”
“I’ve worked so hard to play these games. So I take every moment and soak it in. Just because this is what I’ve dreamed about as a kid. Obviously, playing at this level is not easy by any stretch of the imagination but throughout the game it’s definitely more of a soft self talk. And I think Danny [O’Brien] does a great job with that just because he’s been in that position before. I have a great coaching staff around me so it’s easy just to bounce back and I think they’ve done a great job with me, instilling the mindset to just go out and play your game. Don’t try to put yourself in a box, especially with Coach Seider and Coach Howle, they definitely instill that confidence in me to just go out and let it rip.”
So no anger and competitive frustration in the life of Allar? Well, let’s not get carried away here.
“[My anger] more comes from playing video games. I think my roommates would probably say the same,” Allar says with a laugh and a big smile.
