Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
3 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / easily quantified. It has to do with his composure. When he entered the game against Purdue last August, what stood out to Franklin was not his passing me- chanics, but his demeanor. "He was super poised," Franklin said. "You can do all the drills you want — throwing, footwork, fundamentals, all that stuff. But at the end of the day, it's hard to teach poise in the pocket. He just seems to have it. There can be chaos all around him, but he's efficient with his movement. "Some guys move around in the pocket more than they need to. They move into problems. [It's better to] move just enough and keep your eyes up when you do have to scramble. He showed some ex- amples of that last year where he stepped up in the pocket and made a big throw with pressure." Allar said he was more surprised than nervous after Yurcich informed him that he would probably be filling in for Clif- ford when Penn State got the ball back against the Boilermakers. He began warming up on the sideline, telling him- self, "OK, this is really happening, I'm about to go into my first college game." Once he got onto the field, there were no jitters. His first throw was an easy screen pass to Lambert-Smith on which the receiver squirted free for an 11-yard gain and a first down. On the next play, Allar stepped up to avoid a rush and while drifting to his right hit Tinsley for a 15-yard pickup. His next throw could have been an even bigger gain, but a well-thrown pass skipped off the hands of tight end Tyler Warren. The Lions punted two plays later, but not before Allar showed that even though he was only nine months removed from the end of his high school career, he was ready to compete on a major-college stage. "When I was out on the field, it just felt like football," he said. "That's what was cool about it. I was just taking in everything I could before going out there. Then once I got out there, it was just football, a game that I love to play." Now comes the next step in his devel- opment — from major-college backup to major-college starter. He's been unfazed by the speed of his ascent, but this is per- haps the biggest jump of all, especially with the Nittany Lions being hailed as potential College Football Playoff con- tenders in 2023. Is he ready for that step? Yurcich, who first took an interest in Allar when he was still coaching at Texas in 2020, is confi- dent that the young quarterback has the tools and, just as important, the desire. "He wants to be the best," Yurcich said. "He's out to prove that he is the best, every time he touches the field. He's got a tremendous amount of pride. He wants to be a perfectionist. He is a perfectionist. He wants to be great." ■ Before arriving at Penn State last year, Allar began working with a private throwing coach to refine his mechanics and boost his recruitment. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE