Drew Allar was over a week removed from Penn State’s 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The emotion that stemmed from his costly interception that set up the Fighting Irish for a game-winning field goal had subsided. Allar was finally ready to watch the film. He entered the meeting room and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien pressed play.
Allar and O’Brien watched the whole game, front to back. It all led up to that final pass. Allar was attempting to complete his first pass to a wide receiver. He instead threw straight into the hands of Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray. Allar watched beside O’Brien, reliving the most painful mistake of his career. Then O’Brien paused the film, rewound and played it again.
“Once the emotion kind of died down, you get just into the nitty gritty of your footwork on that play or your eyes and just keeping it simple within the framework of that play,” O’Brien said. “…I tell them all the time, whether it’s spring ball Practice 7 or the Orange Bowl third-and-goal to win the game, the play is the play. Keep it simple, rely on your muscle memory and trust your training.”
It was just another film session. The most difficult part of this process was mental. It may have hurt for Allar to watch for the first time, but the more the play was rewound and deconstructed the closer he was brought back to reality. This was the ultimate lesson. This was the moment Allar turned the page toward the 2025 season.
“Failing on such a big stage, in a big spotlight, it’s humbling,” O’Brien said. “But, I mean, it’s put a chip on their shoulder going into this offseason in terms of, ‘Hey, we were that close.’ And now it’s just these little gains here and there to get us over the hump.”
The past is now in the past. Allar has fielded a bright smile while working, for a second offseason, beside offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. There’s a clear goal in mind, and that goal is attainable. Allar was a drive away from a national championship appearance last year. And with a handful of key returning cast members, this month is all about moving forward.
It’s the little gains, as O’Brien puts it, that could dictate whether the Nittany Lions ultimately cash in on their mounting anticipations. And for Allar, a potential first-round NFL Draft pick next April, these small steps could also dictate the way scouts and team personnel view him as a quarterback of the future. The pressure is on, but really, it’s never been off.
“He just needs to take the next step in really every area, which is what he’s done every year since he’s been on campus,” James Franklin said after practice on Tuesday. “So, I fully expect him to do it again.”
There’s the physical aspect of things, like becoming a better rusher or a more accurate passer. But Allar has already shown flashes in both of these categories, among others. O’Brien isn’t focused as much on these. The main thing for Allar is blossoming into a consistent and relentless game manager, capable of becoming the difference maker when it matters most.
“At the end of the day, it’s oftentimes just doing our job and then knowing those moments in games when maybe it’s not right and it’s my job to be the eraser of the team. And you can really only do that through playing,” O’Brien said. “And through playing a lot comes success and failure, which I think will be the biggest thing for him this coming year, knowing when to pick and choose those spots.”
