Penn State HC James Franklin drops eye-catching remark on QB Drew Allar’s NFL plans

Drew Allar, the quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, has been an instrumental part of the team's success this year. With him, the Nittany Lions made the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff, where they will face the SMU Mustangs this weekend.

However, in the week building up to the game, Allar made a decision concerning his future with Penn State. He decided to return for one more season.

This news has gone down well with Penn State coach James Franklin.

“Again, Drew has been phenomenal," Franklin said. "Mom and Dad have been phenomenal. Had a ton of conversations. Had a ton of conversations. Obviously, he’s doing a ton of really good things, and he’s developing and he’s getting better and he’s playing great and he’s leading.

"And I think there’s a lot of excitement because I think they believe and we believe there’s still a lot of room for growth and development."

Under Franklin, Allar has developed into a potential future NFL star. Franklin is happy to continue this development for one more season, giving Allar the best chance of ensuring that he is of a high standard before he declares for the 2026 NFL draft.

This season, Allar has thrown for 2,894 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has already improved on his 2023 total, and if this trend continues, Allar is likely to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 draft class.

Penn State took advantage of Ohio State's upset loss to Michigan to reach its first Big Ten championship game since 2016. While this did not end well for Allar or Penn State, it gave them the opportunity to face the best team in the country, the Oregon Ducks in a 45-37 loss on Dec. 7.

Playing them gave Allar vital experience in what it is like to play in a big game with a championship on the line. He can use it when the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions (11-2) play in the CFP, hosting No. 12 SMU (11-2) on Saturday, and could meet Oregon or Ohio State in later rounds.

James Franklin explains how Penn State gets its players NFL-ready

James Franklin also talked about the process of how he is developing NFL quality players in his news conference.

"It’s been a ton of conversations with NFL GMs and scouts to be able to provide NFL reports and information to our players of where they’re at and what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are and how do we take that information, make a decision and then spend, once the season is over, time attacking those things that people consider weaknesses,” Franklin said.

By doing this, James Franklin and the Penn State program is giving its players the best opportunity and resources to help them develop into players who can easily adjust to the NFL.

When this is considered, there is no suprise that Drew Allar decided to stay with the Nittany Lions for one more season.