THE SKINNY
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 220 pounds
Hometown/High School: Medina, OH (Medina H.S.)
247Sports Ranking: ★★★★ (No. 89 Overall)
Notable Offers: Georgia Tech, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Washington.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE TALE
Overall, Allar’s recruitment has moved fast since Penn State got involved. The Nittany Lions first began targeting Allar right after the hiring of new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and eventually offered at the end of January. As they usually have been during the James Franklin era, Allar looks to be another instance of the Nittany Lions finding a tremendous talent before other programs. Before Penn State, the only other Power Five programs to offer were Iowa, Iowa State, and Pittsburgh. Since then, 12 more Power Five programs have thrown their hat into the ring. He also skyrocketed up recruiting rankings, moving from 453 to 89 in 247Sports’s Top 247.
That being said, despite all the new suitors and attention he’s been receiving, Penn State has stayed at the forefront of his recruitment. Which led up to the Ohio native’s commitment on Monday. His commitment gives the Nittany Lions eight commitments in their 2022 recruiting class that ranks fifth in the country per 247Sports and second in the Big Ten. He is also the second quarterback of the class, joining Pennsylvania native Beau Pribula who committed last August.
OUTLOOK
We are still a long way away from when the 2022 recruiting class can start putting pen to paper but it’s hard not to be excited about the collection of talent that Penn State is assembling in the class. Allar might just be the best of that talent yet.
As a quarterback, the rising senior has everything you look for. He has the prototypical size at 6-foot-5 and 220-pounds. Still likely to get bigger, him eventually being in the 6-foot-6, 230-to-240 pound area is not out of the question by any means. Additionally, he has a ton of arm talent, has great arm strength that is highlighted when he’s throwing on the run but also shows great accuracy and a crisp touch on his passes. He’s able to move and get it done with his feet but don’t expect him to run as much as Trace McSorley or Sean Clifford have during their careers.
He’ll be able to extend plays by moving around in the backfield and will pick up some yards here and there but that likely about it on the ground. But that also fits the mold of the type of quarterbacks Mike Yurcich usually works with. They're a pocket passer and pro-style quarterback at heart but they have the ability to move around and get it done with their legs by either extending plays or picking up some valuable short yardage.
Overall, Allar is by far the quarterback with the highest potential that has committed to the program since Justin Fields. That’s not a knock on any of the other quarterbacks the Nittany Lions have signed, but the potential that Allar possesses is truly on a whole different level compared to the rest. But for now, that’s all it is: potential. We’ll see if the Nittany Lions can hold onto his commitment over the next nine months in hopes of signing him during the Early Signing Period in December.