College football analyst points to Penn State QB Drew Allar’s “footwork and accuracy" as issues ahead of upcoming season

Drew Allar and Penn State were on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff national championship game this season, but the Nittany Lions passing game was limited against Notre Dame. In that Orange Bowl loss, Allar didn't complete a pass to a wide receiver, instead relying on standout tight end Tyler Warren.

Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick believes that Allar has the talent to be among the best quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but also has some work to do to solidify himself. Chadwick wrote:

"Allar showed off his rifle of a right arm far more as a junior, increasing his average depth of target by more than a yard.

"There are still some things for him to clean up, including his footwork and accuracy, and plenty of questions surrounding Penn State's wide receiver room, but Allar will enter his senior season as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft."

Drew Allar threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a junior. He chose to stick around in Happy Valley for one more go-round rather than enter the draft this season along with Texas' Quinn Ewers, who also could've stayed in college for another campaign.

What might motivate Drew Allar for next season?

Drew Allar threw a back-breaking interception that led to the Fighting Irish's game-winning field goal in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt spoke about the miscue and the affect it might have on the Penn State passer last month.

"You threw an unfortunate interception at the wrong time to the wrong spot on the field," Klatt said on his namesake podcast. "Drew Allar is gonna have to live with that for the rest of his life.

"I feel bad for him in that sense. Listen, I never played in a game of this magnitude in college, but I can tell you this — there are still things that I have a hard time getting over. I'm 43 years old."

Klatt added:

"Drew Allar did it on the biggest stage. So, in a lot of ways, my heart breaks for him. I stood in those shoes. My heart breaks for Drew Allar."

Klatt also pointed out that the loss shouldn't be labeled as a bad one for the Nittany Lions. They'll return their top two running backs to go along with Allar next year and the team will have a veteran feel much like Ohio State had this year.

The Penn State quarterback will need to improve in the ways Chadwick pointed out for the team to resemble its Big 10 foe, which won the national title this year in part because of an experienced quarterback in Will Howard.