Drew Allar's road to becoming Penn State's starting quarterback started long before he was ever on the Nittany Lions' radar thanks to Mike Yurcich.
Allar was a sophomore when Medina coach Larry Laird gave him a speech that eventually turned him into one of the three starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten who graduated high school as five-star recruits. The others are OSU’s Kyle McCord and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
All that was missing from that point was the talent development that he hoped would follow that level of obsession. It took some time for that to happen. But one man saw it earlier than everybody else. That foundation isn’t the primary reason why he would later pull Allar out of Medina. But it mattered. Even Penn State head coach James Franklin knows that.
Yurcich had built a rapport with the Allar family. But the reality was that the Longhorns had hit a ceiling under Herman, having gone 25-15 heading into that 2020 season with only one 10-win ceiling. Things didn’t get much better with Texas going 7–3 , once again having to settle for a trip to the Alamo Bowl.
Now that same relationship is helping guide Allar through his first season as Penn State’s starting quarterback. That’s where the fun began for a player who would eventually graduate as the No. 32 player and No. 4 quarterback. Ideally, every program would love to find its quarterback commit as early as possible and build the rest of a recruiting class around him. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Even Ohio State has had a hard time achieving that, given current starter Kyle McCord is the only person in the Ryan Day era who has actually made it to signing day after committing early.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Penn State-Ohio State X factors: Will a Buckeyes edge rusher wreck the game again?Tuimoloau devastated the PSU offense in the fourth quarter of last year's contest at Beaver Stadium.
Read more »
Who They Are: Scouting the Ohio State Buckeyes for Saturday’s game with Penn StateWe know who Ohio State has been: Uber-athletic at the skill positions. Often overwhelming on the edges. Loaded with game-breakers on both sides of the ball. And so often led by a dynamic, versatile and confident quarterback. But there are certain pressure points the Nittany Lions can probe in the 2023 Buckeyes we aren't used to seeing.
Read more »
Ohio State vs. Wisconsin kickoff time announced; Buckeyes 2nd primetime matchup this seasonOhio State's win over Purdue was the type of win Ohio State needed this time of year.
Read more »
Ohio State’s moment-stealing star defensive end defying definition, just as Buckeyes expectedOhio State football's best defensive end focused on making an all-around impact -- and now he's piling up sacks.
Read more »
How J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer and the rest of Ohio State’s defense graded vs. PurdueHow did Ohio State's defense grade out in the Buckeyes' 41-7 win over Purdue?
Read more »