Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538407
1 4 S E P T E M B E R 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 P enn State senior quarterback Drew Allar has tied teammates Nicholas Singleton, Zane Durant and A.J. Harris for the most preseason watch list nods ahead of the 2025 season. The third- year starter made his third list for major college football honors on Aug. 7 when he was named a candidate for the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the nation's top quarterback. Only two Nittany Lions have ever won the Davey O'Brien Award. Todd Blackledge claimed it in 1982 when he led the Nit- tany Lions to their first national championship, and Kerry Collins won the honor 12 years later when he starred on a 1994 team that went 12-0, defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl and finished No. 2 behind Nebraska in the final rankings. Allar gives the Lions their most compelling candidate in years. He may not be the favorite, with Garrett Nussmeier of LSU, Arch Manning of Texas and Cade Klubnik of Clemson all generating plenty of preseason buzz, but he's on the short list of top con- tenders going into the season. During a recent appearance on the Big Ten Network, head coach James Franklin said he has high hopes for Allar's final col- lege season and beyond. "I want him to win a Big Ten championship," Franklin said. "I want him to have a chance to win at the very highest level in col- lege football, a national championship, and then be a top-10 [NFL Draft] pick, all those things combined, and even the first pick. "We talk about it all the time: With team success comes indi- vidual recognition." Allar is also up for the Maxwell and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards, both of which go to the nation's best player. Franklin said Allar's physical development, coupled with his experience operating second-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's offense, has put him in position to have his best season yet. He's listed at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, which is identical to his listed weight last year, but Franklin noted that he has "changed his body significantly, which allows him to be more athletic, extend plays [and] make those big-time throws." Singleton, a senior running back, has appeared on the watch lists for the Doak Walker, Maxwell and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards. Durant, a senior defensive tackle, is up for the Outland and Nagurski trophies, as well as the Bednarik Award. Harris, a junior cornerback, has been named to the watch lists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award. Singleton is also one of three Nittany Lions named to the Wal- ter Camp and Sporting News preseason All-America teams. The others are Durant and redshirt junior guard Olaivavega Ioane. ■ Nittany Lion Watch Listers Drew Allar | Sr. | QB Maxwell Award (best all-around player), Walter Camp Player of the Year Award (best all-around player), Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback) Kaytron Allen | Sr. | RB Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award (best running back) Cooper Cousins | So. | G Wuerffel Trophy (recognizing community service and athletic excellence) Dani Dennis-Sutton | Sr. | DE Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) Khalil Dinkins | R-Sr. | TE John Mackey Award (best tight end) Zane Durant | Sr. | DT Outland Trophy (best interior lineman), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player), Chuck Bednarik Award Tyler Duzansky | R-Sr. | LS Patrick Mannelly Award (best long snapper) A.J. Harris | Jr. | CB Lott IMPACT Trophy (recognizing personal character and athletic excellence), Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award Olaivavega Ioane | R-Jr. | G Outland Trophy Trebor Peña | R-Sr.+ | WR Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player), Fred Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) Devonte Ross | Sr. | WR Biletnikoff Award Nicholas Singleton | Sr. | RB Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Doak Walker Award Note: Awards lists as of Aug. 11 Allar ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a 153.5 passer rating last year. The three quarter- backs ahead of him — Indiana's Kurtis Rourke, Ohio State's Will Howard and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel — have all graduated. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Drew Allar Headlines Penn State's Watch List Contingent G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M