Author’s note: I’ve been helping out with the Medina High School football team for much of the last decade, so I’ve known Drew Allar and his family for years. With that in mind, I wanted to take an in-depth look at how Allar, a longtime Ohio State fan who went to Buckeye games throughout his childhood, became Penn State’s starting quarterback.
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar dreamed of playing in Ohio Stadium throughout his childhood.
On Saturday, he will get that opportunity, but not while donning the scarlet and gray like he once thought he could throughout his childhood.
Allar had always been an Ohio State fan. Growing up 100 miles north of Columbus, it was the only thing he knew as a big football fan. Saturdays were for the Buckeyes; Sundays were for the Cleveland Browns, his favorite NFL team for whom the Allars were longtime season ticket holders. With a top-seven showdown in Columbus looming Saturday afternoon, Allar didn't hold back when it came to discussing being a fan of Ohio State throughout his childhood, a team that he has plenty of respect for.
"It's just a great opportunity to go back home. ... I did grow up going to Ohio State games, like a lot of us did in Ohio," Allar said on Tuesday. "Yeah, I mean, they got a great fanbase, a great atmosphere, gonna be a very challenging atmosphere. They're a very passionate fanbase. But I think it's nothing we're not prepared for. We practice in very loud environments all the time. I'm sure you guys hear the speakers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So, I think we're gonna be prepared for it, but at the end of the day, it's just going out and executing our jobs and just being sound in our assignments."
His dreams and aspirations of one day playing for the Buckeyes all began to change Jan. 30, 2021. It marked a special day for Allar and his family as it was the day he received an offer from Penn State, one that seemed to start a domino effect in his recruitment. Allar was once a three-star prospect his sophomore season. By the time he was a senior, he was a five-star and one of the best quarterbacks in the 2022 class. In fact, Allar's 247Sports composite rating of 98.52 narrowly edged out Braxton Miller (98.47 in 2011) for the best-ever 247Sports composite rating for a high school quarterback from Ohio.
Part of that was due to his high school team, Medina, running a five-wide offense, allowing Allar to throw the ball and pick apart the entire defense week in and week out, all while seeing a bunch of different coverages. Another key component of Allar's development was his personal quarterback coach, Brad Maendler, who transformed his throwing motion into what it is today.
“It's just a great opportunity to go back home. ... I did grow up going to Ohio State games, like a lot of us did in Ohio.”– Penn State quarterback Drew Allar
While he didn't become a full-time quarterback until his freshman year of high school, Allar took over as Medina's starting quarterback midway through his sophomore season, a year in which he threw for 1,802 yards and 23 touchdowns. As a junior, Allar passed for 2,962 yards and 26 touchdowns and led the Bees to playoff wins over St. Edward and St. Ignatius, two powerhouse private schools in Northeast Ohio while leading Medina to its first regional final in school history. But Allar saved his best for last, as he completed 305-of-509 passes for 4,444 yards, 48 touchdowns and seven interceptions while also running for 406 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior, all while earning Ohio Mr. Football honors.
In two-and-a-half high school seasons, Allar completed 630 of 1,149 pass attempts for 9,103 yards and 98 touchdowns with 20 interceptions, while continuing to improve with every throw throughout every season.
"The quarterbacking really took off with me at Medina with Coach Brad (Maendler), obviously my quarterback trainer. But then Coach (Larry) Laird, we were five wide the whole game, just slinging it. You know, I probably averaged like 50 attempts (per game) my senior year," Allar said. "That's probably where I got most of my confidence from Coach Laird. Just because of the person he is and the type of personality he has and I think that kind of rubbed off on me in a good way. I still keep in touch with all my coaches even if they're not coaching anymore at Medina because they might have moved on or got a new job. I still try and keep in touch with all of them because they're a big part of the reason I'm here."
B4 & AfterPenn State QB Drew Allar. Check out the stunning transformation during Drews 2-year journey to become the best version of himself. Shout out to Bryan Alberty at @AthletesFoL for helping Drew transform his body. @AllarDrew #WeAre #QBExcelerate pic.twitter.com/Rudv5S627h
— Brad Maendler (@BradMaendler) February 3, 2022
The Nittany Lions were one of the first Power Five schools to offer the Medina, Ohio native when Allar was only a three-star recruit, joining Iowa State and Iowa. He received his first Division I offer from Central Michigan following his sophomore season. It was a special moment for Allar, as Chippewas offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Charlie Frye, the coach who offered Allar, was a former third-round pick by the Browns and played three seasons in Cleveland.
“I still keep in touch with all my coaches even if they're not coaching anymore at Medina because they might have moved on or got a new job. I still try and keep in touch with all of them because they're a big part of the reason I'm here.”– Penn State quarterback Drew Allar on his Medina roots
Less than a month after receiving that offer from Penn State, Allar had 13 additional offers, including from 12 Power Five schools. But his initial love for the Nittany Lions continued, and he committed to Penn State on March 8, 2021.
Why didn't Ohio State try and recruit Allar before he even committed to the Nittany Lions, you ask? With Quinn Ewers – the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class – already in the fold, the Buckeyes didn't feel the need to go after Allar even though his stock continued to rise. Then, when Ewers decided to reclassify to the 2021 class on Aug. 2, 2021 (and enrolled at Ohio State less than two weeks later), the Buckeyes needed a quarterback for the 2022 recruiting cycle.
"He's an Ohio kid who had a great career. We already had Quinn (Ewers) committed to us and then there was a re-classification and at that point, he was already committed to Penn State. But a lot of respect for him, for his program and certainly being from the state of Ohio, he's a really good player," Day said Wednesday.
On Sept. 3, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis had sideline passes for Medina's game against Wadsworth. It would be the first time OSU's coaching staff would attend one of Allar's games. Dennis was the only coach who showed up that night while Day decided to go elsewhere. A few days later, the Buckeyes offered Allar, nearly seven months following Allar's most recent offer (from Tennessee). By then, though, it was too late in the recruiting process. Penn State head coach James Franklin and Yurcich went to Medina's game against Euclid three weeks after Dennis' visit, sealing the deal for Penn State, in case there was any doubt.
In a full-circle moment given the fact that Ewers transferred to Texas after just one season in Columbus, Penn State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich – who spent one season as Ohio State's pass-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019 – began recruiting Allar when he was Texas' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Euclid, Ohio native called Laird to check in on the then-three-star prospect. Then, when Texas fired Tom Herman, along with his staff, Yurcich was hired by Penn State. Considering the Nittany Lions are much closer to Medina than Austin, Texas, it was a game-changing move in Allar's recruitment.
Once Allar made the decision to commit to Penn State, he stuck with it, even if it meant turning down the team in his home state that he had been a lifelong fan of.
"One of the things I did during my recruiting process was not worry about the name of the school. It was School A, School B, School C and the pros and cons of each school what I felt like in my eyes and where I could go be the best developed not only on the field but off the field," Allar said this week. "I felt like, at the end of the day, for me it was Penn State and I truly believe that and that helped me a lot during my recruiting process. I always said during my recruiting process internally that I was never just going to flip after I committed unless something major happened and you know, nothing major happened. So I was always 100% in with Penn State and still am."
Day understood that and Ohio State's coaching staff backed off and decided to instead focus on four-star quarterback Devin Brown, who eventually committed to the Buckeyes.
“We were always respectful of the situation. He was always respectful of the situation. He and his family were great. And just, that's kind of the way it played out. But a lot of respect for those guys,” Day said this week. “When you're committed somewhere and you have a relationship over time, it's just one of those things where you kind of talk to them and reach out and just see if anything were ever to change let us know. But at the same time, he was committed to Penn State and we respected that.”
“I always said during my recruiting process internally that I was never just going to flip after I committed unless something major happened and you know, nothing major happened. so I was always 100% in with Penn State and still am.”– Penn State quarterback Drew Allar
Entering Saturday's top-seven showdown in Columbus, Allar has yet to throw an interception in 16 games at Penn State. That's no surprise, as he rarely turned the ball over during his time at Medina. Laird instilled in him that he must take care of the ball and not force something that's not there, something that has remained with Allar.
"Take what the defense gives you and don't take unnecessary risks with the football, especially depending on the situations in the game," Allar said. "There are situations where you have to force things maybe you wouldn't if you were up or in the middle of the game. But I think it's taking calculated risks with the football and just being patient."
In his first season leading Penn State's offense, the 6-foot-5, 242-pound quarterback has completed 118-of-181 passes (65.2%) for 1,254 and 12 touchdowns and has also rushed for 79 yards and three touchdowns. In the Nittany Lions' two road games, though, Allar has completed only 34-of-66 passes (51.5%) for 397 yards and one touchdown at Northwestern and Illinois.
Even so, Day expects Ohio State to get Allar’s best in Columbus on Saturday.
"I think he's done a good job in his first year. He's had poise. He's a big, strong quarterback who leads the team well and manages the game well and has a good makeup. I think he's got a bright future ahead of him," Day said.
With Allar set to return to his home state for a matchup against the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium Saturday afternoon, he has likely received plenty of ticket requests, including from past coaches who have contributed to his success and development. But he’s leaving that up to his parents because he already has enough on his plate.
"I don't know how many ticket requests I have," he said. "I leave that up to my parents. I don't worry about the tickets because I have to be focused on the game. I can't be focused on anything extra other than that."
In a game that has huge Big Ten East and College Football Playoff implications, Allar – like Ohio State and his Penn State teammates – knows what's on the line Saturday afternoon in Columbus. It's why he went to a program like Penn State. It's part of the reason Ohio State's players became Buckeyes as well.
“Obviously they're a great team, great program, great tradition similar to us," Allar said. "They’re just gonna be a huge challenge this week and, you know, we look forward to it because at the end of the day, we all came to Penn State to play in games like this and they went to Ohio State to play in games like this as well."
