Nearly six weeks after what he described as “probably one of the worst weekends of my life,” Drew Allar has come to grips with his season-ending injury and the firing of Penn State football coach James Franklin the next day.
“It still doesn’t feel real to some extent,” Allar said Thursday in his first interview since suffering a broken left ankle in the fourth quarter of a 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 11. “It was a crazy, really, 72 hours just dealing with it.”
Allar was injured Saturday night, attended the meeting Sunday when the Nittany Lions learned that Franklin had been dismissed and underwent surgery three days later.
He returned to Penn State to undergo his rehabilitation and has attended every practice and the last three games. He also has mentored redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, his replacement at quarterback.
“Selfishly, I felt like I needed to be around the team for my own sake,” Allar said. “I didn’t want to leave the guys and the coaches because I knew the situation we were in. I have so much respect for all of the staff and players and wanted to be there for them.
“I wanted to be there for Grunk to help him any way I could because I knew he was going to be stepping into a tough task. He’s done a phenomenal job. It’s been really cool to see his process and growth during the last four or five weeks.”
A three-year starter, Allar finished his career with 7,402 passing yards, fourth in school history; 61 touchdown passes (third); a .632 completion percentage (first); and a 142.7 passing efficiency (fourth).
This season before his injury, he completed 64.8% of his passes for 1,100 yards and eight TD passes with three interceptions as Penn State started 3-3 after beginning the season ranked second in The Associated Press poll.
“I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on it (what went wrong this season),” Allar said. “Maybe it’s not the most fun subject for myself. We wouldn’t be in this position if I found more ways to make plays.
“Going back to the Oregon game (a 30-24 loss in two overtimes that ended on his interception), if I found different ways to get going early or make the game finish a different way, that would have changed our outlook on the season.”
Allar became the starting quarterback in 2023, threw for 2,631 yards and 25 TD passes with two interceptions and led the Lions to a 10-3 record, a trip to the Peach Bowl and a No. 13 final ranking.
Last season, he completed 66.5% of his passes for 3,327 yards (third-most in school history), 24 TDs with eight interceptions and led Penn State to a 13-3 record, the Big Ten title game, its first College Football Playoff appearance, the CFP semifinals and a No. 5 final ranking.
“Drew means everything to us,” interim head coach Terry Smith said. “Obviously we’ve won a lot of games with him under the helm. He’s a tremendous leader and a tremendous part of our locker room and our culture.
“He could have easily been detached from this team. He’s at every meeting. He’s at every practice and he travels with us on the road. That’s true leadership. He’s been very special to us. I’m thankful he’s still around.”
Allar said his surgery was successful, but he wouldn’t say whether he’ll be ready for the Senior Bowl in late January or the NFL combine in late February.
“Rehab has been really good,” he said. “I’m off to a really good start. I’m not really going to get into all the timeline stuff because it can be iffy. You never know if you have setbacks or you’re ahead of schedule. Right now it’s on a really good track. I have an amazing athletic team here that’s helping me out a ton.”
Allar has remained in contact with Franklin, who was with him at Mount Nittany Medical Center immediately after the Northwestern loss while he was undergoing imaging.
“I have a great relationship with Coach Franklin,” he said. “I’ve probably talked to him every other day really since we’ve both been done. I’m very excited for him. He’s going to do a great job at Virginia Tech. I think it’s a great spot for him.
“I’m very excited to see what he does. I’m very happy for him and his family.”
Allar and about 30 others will be recognized on Senior Night when Penn State (1-6 Big Ten, 4-6) faces Nebraska (4-3, 7-3) Saturday night at 7 (TV-NBC) at Beaver Stadium.
Many of them played significant roles in helping the Lions pick up 34 wins from 2022-24, the most in any three-year stretch in school history.
“We have a lot more to be proud of than not to be proud of,” Allar said. “It’s been a fun ride. Getting to build relationships with the coaches and the players over the last four years has been great. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I have lifelong friends.
“You can look at things from a ton of different lenses and there’s always going to be outside perspective, noise and opinions, but I know I’m proud of what we accomplished.”
