Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535618
1 4 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M They Said It "Allar — a three-year starter — received some draft buzz while leading the Nittany Lions to the CFP semifinals. He returned to school, and there should not be too many complaints. Allar has 49 TDs and 10 interceptions as a starter the last two seasons. Allar did have seven games with less than 200 yards passing, and tight end Tyler Warren is gone — but Penn State added Troy's Devonte Ross and USC's Ky - ron Hudson via the portal. … The talent is there, and Allar will have a chance to get back at Oregon and Ohio State in the regular season." — Sporting News writer Bill Bender, who has PSU senior Drew Allar atop his list of the nation's top returning quarterbacks PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "Allar is so polarizing. As far as talent, it's all there. When you watch him play, it's easy to see why he was so highly rated as a recruit — and why NFL scouts are high on him. The problem is that he looks great against teams Penn State is better than but struggles against the best ones. Even in Penn State's playoff wins, Allar was underwhelming. However, Penn State enters 2025 with far fewer questions than any other program in the Big Ten, including Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan. If he's able to step up and perform in the big moments, I'm not sure there's any question about who the best QB in the country will be." — CBSSports.com writer Tom Fornelli, who has Allar second on his list of the nation's top returning quarterbacks behind Clemson's Cade Klubnik "Penn State made one of the biggest single moves of the spring in landing former Syracuse receiver Trebor Pena, who seemed destined for Miami once he entered the portal but instead gives the Nittany Lions a huge piece at a position of need. … Given what the Nittany Lions have at quarterback, running back, the offensive line and now out wide, you can see why this team might be the best in the FBS." — USA Today writer Paul Myerberg, listing Penn State as one of his four transfer portal winners in the spring (the others were UCLA, Tennessee and Boise State) "Look for Pena to become Allar's consistent under- neath checkdown target, particularly on key third- down conversions. Pena is versatile, reliable and slip- pery in tight quarters. … The sixth-year senior should catch on fast in Happy Valley despite missing spring practice. He'll be the reliable slot who dominates zone coverage with savvy route running and sudden breaks to create separation. Don't underestimate his quick impact in the return game as well." — ESPN writer Billy Tucker, listing Trebor Pena as Penn State's top newcomer this year "They were on him early and stayed on him. They made him feel very wanted. From that very first visit, he and his dad were very impressed with everything they saw at Penn State. They just never stopped. There were other schools that might disappear for a week or two, that happens. But Penn State never did that. They were always on top of it. That's impressive. Even with a defensive coordinator change, they never missed a beat." — Head football coach Sean Finnerty of Patriot High in Nokesville, Va., on Penn State's recruitment of four-star linebacker Mathieu Lamah, who com- mitted in early May "It still hasn't even hit me, just that I'm really at a school like this, knowing how far they got last year. Since I was a kid, I always wanted to play in the national championship. That's something that every team wants to do. … It's just crazy I could compete for something like that on a team like this." — Senior receiver Devonte Ross on his offseason transfer from Troy to Penn State "It's going to have to grow on me a little bit." — Ex-Nittany Lion defensive end Abdul Carter, who will wear jersey No. 51 with the New York Gi- ants after being denied permission to wear No. 11 (formerly worn by Phil Simms) and No. 56 (formerly worn by Lawrence Taylor)