Freshman Drew Allar named Penn State’s backup quarterback

James Franklin’s Monday morning press conference offered a bit of a surprise: true freshman Drew Allar will be Penn State’s backup quarterback at Purdue.

Allar, rated as high as a five-star prospect by 247 Sports, beat out redshirt freshman Christian Veilleux for the No. 2 job behind veteran Sean Clifford. Veilleux, who filled in last season and beat Rutgers in November, was thought to be the leader in the competition to back up Clifford.

Allar’s place as Penn State’s No. 2 isn’t set in stone, Franklin said. It’s a “fluid” situation and the competition will continue on throughout the fall on a week-to-week basis. But should something happen to Clifford at Purdue, Allar will be the one to step in.

“When we take all of the information, coaches’ opinions based on their gut and experience, data from everything we keep track of, we feel like Drew has earned that opportunity in Week 1,” Franklin said. “(Veilleux) was the third-string quarterback last year and he ended up being a second-team quarterback and came in and did a great job for us. But taking everything into consideration, the coaching staff felt this was the right decision.

“These are tough conversations to have. We sat down with everybody, with each quarterback and met with them one-on-one and communicated how and why.”

Allar has the pedigree Penn State (or any school, for that matter) would want in a future starter. The 6-foot-5, 242-pounder was ranked in the top five at his position by both 247 and Rivals coming out of Medina High School in Ohio. He threw for 4,444 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior before enrolling in January.

Allar joined as the jewel of Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class. He was one of three five-star signees, alongside running back Nick Singleton and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. Both Singleton and Dennis-Sutton were expected to play a role as true freshmen, but it seemed Allar would take a backseat — at least initially — to Veilleux.

That isn’t the case as the Nittany Lions prepare to travel to Purdue and open their 2022 campaign. Still, the road ahead this season and beyond is a long one for Allar, Veilleux and fellow true freshman Beau Pribula.

“Drew needs to learn from Sean. So does CV and so does Beau. And it’s a really good environment in that whole room, and we worked hard at that,” Franklin said. “But we need to continue to do that, continue to work hard with the chemistry in that room. Those guys need to continue to prepare and invest the way they need to for when their number gets called.”

An hour before Franklin addressed reporters in the Beaver Stadium media room — and before it became public knowledge that Allar would be his backup — Clifford fielded questions over Zoom. He was asked about the quarterbacks behind him and what it was like working with them throughout training camp.

“It’s been really, really easy as a vet QB to be able to share my insights, to show them everything I’ve learned over the last few years,” Clifford said. “… They’ve done just a fantastic job of opening their ears and listening, asking a bunch of questions whenever they have one, not being afraid to ask and being really receptive to both praise and criticism. I think we have a room that is very loving of each other. We want everyone to succeed, and at the same time we have that competition, which is really good.

“It’s one of my favorite rooms so far with lots of talent. So I’m really excited about moving forward with them.”