Penn State's Five-Star QB Drew Allar Reveals Negative Recruiting Pitch Other Schools Used Against Nittany Lions

If Penn State is to continue its success from last season with a run at the national championship in 2023, quarterback Drew Allar is going to have to play up to his billing. As a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022, the 19-year-old rising sophomore is rated as the program's third-best quarterback recruit in the modern era.

Allar was named Mr. Football in Ohio as a senior in high school after throwing for 4,444 yards and 48 touchdowns with just seven interceptions that year. His highlight tape speaks for itself.

Thus, after enrolling early last spring, there was a lot of excitement around the idea that Allar could start for the Nittany Lions as a freshman. Sean Clifford ultimately locked down his job and won 11 games, but the highly-regarded backup played in nine games and completed 35 of 44 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns.

He had arrived.

Now, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, Allar is the presumptive starter for James Franklin. The 6-foot-5, 242-pound sophomore is considered Penn State's best shot at reaching the mountain top in the next two or three years.

It's a lot of pressure, but Allar is ready. He's been working for this opportunity and his big arm only continues to impress— even in a light Sunday morning throwing session.

The Drew Allar hype was not always this loud.

Going into his junior year, Allar had four offers and just one Power-5 offer from Pittsburgh. And then, in the middle of his most important recruiting year, COVID-19 hit.

He couldn't go to camps. He couldn't take visits. Nothing.

Allar began his junior year as a three-star recruit. That quickly became a four-star rating as he started to light it up during games. And then, by the time he reached his senior year, the fifth star came.

It was not a typical five-star recruitment. Allar committed to Penn State when he was just a three-star and stuck with his commitment as schools like Ohio State, Kentucky, Iowa, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M got in the mix.

Allar broke down his recruitment during a larger conversation on Next Up with Adam Breneman and spoke to the crazy process. Other schools were quick to negatively recruit against Penn State, which is something that he did not like.

The biggest pitch against the Nittany Lions had to do with the quarterback history and how the school doesn't develop well at that position. Allar couldn't help but laugh, because Christian Hackenberg, Trace McSorley and Sean Clifford (and Will Levis?) have all been drafted consecutively since 2016.