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P enn State picked up another quarter- back commitment in its Class of 2022 on March 8 with the addition of Ohio na- tive Drew Allar. Listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, the three-star prospect only picked up an offer from the Nittany Lions at the end of Jan- uary, so his recruit- ment moved fairly quickly, thanks in large part to offensive coor- dinator Mike Yurcich. Allar, a Medina native, began developing a re- lationship with Yurcich when the Nittany Lions' newly hired OC was still a member of the staff at Texas. And while that played a major role in his decision, Allar said it was the group effort from the en- tire coaching staff that made this the right pick for him. "I think one of the main reasons is all the relationships I've built with all the coaches, not just Coach Yurcich. I've talked to so many coaches at Penn State, and I really enjoyed talking to every single one of them," Allar said. "I've talked to Coach [James] Franklin a ton and I've gotten a lot of texts from all the other coaches. I like that. It made me feel super comfortable with the staff. They really got to know me, not just as a football player. They got to know me off the field and what I like to do when I'm not playing football and just stuff like that. I really appreciate that." Over the past two months, Allar has been one of the hottest quarterback prospects in the nation, adding offers from schools such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Mississippi, South Carolina, Ten- nessee, Texas A&M and Washington, among others. It was the offer from Notre Dame, which came at the end of February, that had many believing he may re-eval- uate some things. However, by then, Allar said he was already thinking about a com- mitment to Penn State. "I'd say that probably the past week or two, I've really had that feeling," he said. "I was still listening to other schools, just to reiterate to myself that Penn State is the right choice for me. I didn't want to cut it off too early and feel like I cornered myself into making a decision quicker than I wanted to, but over the past two weeks, I felt more and more confident each day." Allar also realized earlier in February that Penn State was, at the very least, one of his early favorites, which is why he and his family drove seven hours roundtrip to see State College on their own. Allar said that he loved the "true college feel" when he walked around campus and the sur- rounding area. "I enjoyed the visit so much," he said. "It definitely felt right when I stepped out of my car and started walking around with my family." Joining York, Pa., native Beau Pribula, Allar will be the final quarterback com- mitment in this class as long as both players stick with the Nittany Lions throughout the summer and fall. Now up to eight commitments, Penn State's Class of 2022 moved up two spots from No. 8 to No. 6 in the Rivals.com team rankings. ■ Ohio quarterback Allar joins Nittany Lions' 2022 class ALLAR NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Drew Allar QB 6-5 220 ★★★ Medina, Ohio Medina Jerry Cross TE 6-6 220 ★★★★ Milwaukee, Wis. Rufus King Mehki Flowers Ath. 6-1 195 ★★★★ Steelton, Pa. Central Dauphin East Anthony Ivey WR 5-11 173 ★★★★ Lancaster, Pa. Manheim Township Beau Pribula QB 6-2 202 ★★★★ York, Pa. Central York Kaden Saunders WR 5-10 170 ★★★★ Westerville, Ohio Westerville South Drew Shelton OL 6-5 275 ★★★★ Downingtown, Pa. IMG Academy (Fla.) Ken Talley LB 6-2 220 ★★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. Northeast * As of March 8 C L A S S O F 2 0 2 2 P E N N S T A T E R E C R U I T S * |

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