Blue White Illustrated

January 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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5 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M decide to go with Drew that year? Your team had a winning record at the time. Why make the switch? LAIRD His sophomore year, you could just see him getting better every day. He worked hard every day, and it doesn't matter what position you play, espe- cially in high school football, when guys are maturing and getting better. Every position is open at all times if you truly want to be a good program. That's what happened with Drew. He was starting to advance to the point where I had to play him more. BWI When I watch Drew play, I see a player who reads the field better than the majority of high school quar- terbacks. It's not just about his arm. What's he like in the film room with you? LAIRD I would put him up against anybody in the country at his age level when it comes to film. In fact, I would put him up against guys already playing at the college level when it comes to film work. He and I probably watched five to six hours of film a week together just in the offseason. Then he would go home and watch probably another five hours by himself or with his dad. That's just in the offseason. In the season, he would do it even more sometimes depending on the op- ponent. That's one area where I think he truly excels, and you can see it when you watch him. He really excels in this area. BWI Can you talk about what he's like off the field? What will you remember about him? LAIRD If you were just talking to Drew and didn't know him, you would never know he's the prospect that he is. One thing I always admired about Drew through all of this is that he's always put Medina football first. As the head coach, I can't stress how much I appreciate that. You can tell that he's a very genuine young man, and his family deserves so much credit for that. Throughout the whole recruiting pro- cess, even when he started to really take off and become the player he is now, he never once let it go to his head. The best example of that, I think, is when you watch him around the younger kids in our area and even the younger guys in our program. He's al- ways been one of those kids who's in- credibly humble and will do whatever you would want him to do if you were his parents. He's a great young man. Everything that people see from him on the outside, he's that humble and respectful on the inside, too. Again, as his coach, I can't thank him enough for that. We were in- credibly fortunate with him and almost all of his classmates. They were all like that, and that's why we had the success that we did. BWI Can you share a story from this past season? Just something about Drew that you'll remember, on or off the field. LAIRD After our game against Stow, we were all trying to load up on the bus and get out of there. Pretty much the entire team was ready to go, and I noticed Drew's bag is one of the only ones left in the locker room. I'm looking around, trying to figure out if he just forgot it or what. I walk back out of the locker room, and there he is signing autographs and taking pictures with these little kids in Penn State gear. There were even a couple adults there trying to get him to take photos and sign autographs. They all had Penn State gear on. He stayed out there and talked to them for a while. Drew has never been a person that can tell someone no. He's just so polite. But after that, he started getting people asking for autographs all the time. We actually had to control it at times. BWI Any last thing you want to say about Drew? LAIRD He's just proof that hard work and dedication really pay off. He has made himself into the prospect that he is. Don't get me wrong, you have to have some natural talent, but his hard work, not only on the field, but in the film room and cultivating relationships with his teammates, is why he is where he is today. ■ "Throughout the whole [recruiting] process, even when he started to really take off and become the player he is now, he never once let it go to his head. The best example of that, I think, is when you watch him around the younger kids in our area and even the younger guys in our program. He's always been one of those kids who's incredibly humble and will do whatever you would want him to do if you were his parents." L A R R Y L A I R D Allar's high school coach credits the quarterback's com- mitment to film study as a key differentiator in his suc- cess at Medina (Ohio) High School. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER

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