Exclusive: Drew Allar shows confidence in offseason development, receivers, Andy Kotelnicki, more

Drew Allar is all-in on the details. The Penn State junior quarterback, set to embark on a high-stakes 2024 season with the Nittany Lions, understands as much from his debut campaign.

Feeling as though the results wanted and the results achieved last year were not as far apart as it might have seemed, Allar has worked tirelessly this offseason to make right the details that went wrong.

Allar recently sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with Blue White Illustrated to talk about his reflections on his first season as a starter, his development this summer, and what’s next for the Nittany Lions’ offense.

The following is a complete transcript of that conversation. When necessary, the prompts and his quotes are edited lightly for clarity.

Monday interview: James Franklin
Tuesday interview: Andy Kotelnicki
Wednesday interview: Tom Allen
Thursday: Top four comments
Friday interview: Pat Kraft

Exclusive: Drew Allar summer interview

Do you think people know who you are?

Drew Allar : No. I mean, it’s not just me, either. Specifically with football, it’s hard to know us outside of us just being athletes. That’s just not me. It’s like the whole team.

Are you comfortable with people not knowing you?

Drew Allar: I’m comfortable with people not knowing me. But, I mean, I have no issues with it or anything like that.

Is there anything people don’t know about you that you wish people did?

Drew Allar: I’m not sure.

What about your golf game? Would you talk about that?

Drew Allar: I would say I’m above average. I’m mid 90s consistently. I hit mid 80s twice this summer. But consistently in the mid 90s. So, I’m not bad. I just gotta shave off a couple putts and get better at chipping a little bit.

What does golf do for you?

Drew Allar: It’s just relaxing. It’s another outlet. I play a lot of video games and golf outside of football. So those are kind of my two things to get away from whatever’s going on in my life. And it’s kind of just a way to connect with other teammates, too.

A bunch of guys have started picking up golfing on the team, so it’s fun that you just go out and have fun with them. Spend time away from the facility because we’re in here so much. Obviously, we love the grind and the process of everything, but it’s also good to get away and get to know each other outside of just being around here.

Who’s the best golfer on the team?

Drew Allar: Best golfer is probably Sander Sahaydak . But Julian Fleming ‘s up there too. He’s pretty good. He’s up there for now.

When did you start playing?

Drew Allar: Probably my junior year of high school. Right after COVID, I think.

Drew Allar looks to 2024 season

What do you want this season to look like?

Drew Allar: Smooth, efficient. Offensively, be as explosive as we can be. I’m really excited with the progress that we made from spring ball. I think the commitment is at an all the time from since when I’ve been here. The culture is really good on the offensive side of the ball. We’re pushing each other. Defense is pushing us. We’re pushing the defense throughout workouts and our skill instruction. So it’s been really good. A lot of healthy competition.

And I think offensively and my goals for the season, just be the best offense in the country. That’s always going to be our goal. And fortunately enough, we’re going against what’s going to be again one of the top defenses in the country. So it’s going to test our abilities day in and day out when we get into fall camp. But, we’re up to the challenge.

How did you process your first year as a starter?

Drew Allar: Definitely a lot of ups and downs, for sure. It wasn’t smooth sailing. But I expected it to be like that, especially being a first-time starter. I’d say it was frustrating, but I definitely enjoyed every moment I had throughout the season, even the downs and the highs of it.

It was frustrating just because of how close we really were last year and I don’t think it’s really known how close we were in a couple of those games. It really just comes down to probably a handful of plays on the offensive side of the ball, if we go out and execute better our jobs. And for me specifically, if I just play a little bit more consistent in those games, the outcome could have been a lot different, I believe. But it didn’t happen like that. So I just got to learn from those mistakes that I made and just continue to improve on my game.

How hard is it to know that the margin was that small? And how do you improve those performances until you’re back in the moment again?

Drew Allar: It’s really trying to make everything game-like from the film room in the spring and going out and doing all the mundane things that we talk about on offense. It really comes down to the boring and mundane things that catches up to you at the end of games and in crucial parts of the game. So it’s really just being as detailed as possible and as focused as possible, even when the drills are boring for us because it’s so repetitive. But those are the things that separate yourselves in the end.

I think if I’m able to just master those little things and smaller things, my game will make a bigger jump. And I think with Coach K and Danny and really the whole offensive staff running the show, I think it’s gonna make it a lot easier on all of us players to just be precise with everything. We’re really hammering out the little details, which has been fun this summer.

Penn State looks for offensive explosiveness

How much of it is about explosiveness? How would last year be different or will this year be different based on that explosiveness?

Drew Allar: It would definitely make a lot of things different if we’re more explosive than we were last year. And honestly, explosive plays are obviously the goal, but sometimes it’s just like a hitch that last year was maybe five yards and this year it’s better ball location and the receivers tight turn and get up the field. An 8 or 9 yard gain and maybe even a first down. And that’s keeping us ahead of the sticks and allowing Coach K to be more aggressive to create more opportunities for us to call those shots and be more explosive down the field in the run game.

It’s all those little things that add up to those explosive plays maybe that people don’t even see on a normal basis. Like if the tackle gets a second longer on his block, it allows Nick and Fat to break one more arm tackle and not be converged on by multiple guys. So it’s a lot of those things that kind of add up at the end of the day. But as long as we’re efficient and we’re being explosive and taking care of the ball, I think those things will take care of themselves.

Is the game more fun when you have those explosives?

Drew Allar: For sure. It makes it a lot easier to get in a rhythm when I’m able to throw a bubble out there to whoever it is because we got a ton of talent in tight end, running back, and receiving room. They’re able to take it 20 yards. I’ll take that. It’s just easy to get into a rhythm at that point. The more stuff that it’s quick game or whatever, stuff that I really enjoy throwing as a quarterback, the more we’ll get to that, the more comfortable I get, the more in-rhythm I get. And I think that will help me open up and really take those shots downfield.

Michigan State, I think Coach Howle and Coach Seider did a great job of calling that game, even the Ole Miss game, even though we didn’t execute as well as we did that Michigan State game. But getting me in a rhythm early and often allowed me to be, I think, more explosive down the field to Omari and Theo on a couple of those passes. And then a couple other receivers, like Nick had a bubble screen behind the line and took it 50 yards. Those things help me get into a rhythm, and I think that just helps the whole offense. We’re not going to be one dimensional because we’re behind the sticks then. We’re going to be able to call whatever we want at whatever point we want.

Unlocking Drew Allar’s best

What’s the importance of technique in your ability to throw accurately?

Drew Allar: For me, being in rhythm is always the best thing because you never want to go into a series cold. It’s always tough as a quarterback, especially when you get to the weather games when you have to run the ball because the weather is so bad. And then, ‘Oh, we have to dial up the shot.’ It’s hard to get back into that rhythm of taking that drop and just dropping back to throw, even when there’s pressure in your face.

So the more I can get the ball out on time, get it into our playmakers hands and allow them to also get in rhythm. If we’re able to get Nick and Fat out on the perimeter on a swing pass, it gets me into a rhythm. But it’s also going to get them into a rhythm because it’s going to create one-on-one matchups for them and whoever the case is. Being in a rhythm for the whole offense is the goal of Coach K’s philosophy.

Like waiting 15 minutes to hit a tee shot?

Drew Allar: I struggle golfing when it’s super slow. When I’m playing in a rhythm, I get going. But when I have to stop and wait about everything, I start to shank a couple.

What would you like to be improved this year:

Drew Allar: I think just consistency overall. I think it started with my footwork. Reflecting on last season, I felt like my footwork was a little sloppy at times. And when I missed throws, it was probably nine out of 10 times, it was related to my footwork. Whether it be just out of my base or taking unnecessary movements in the pocket and just missing the throw that should be routine for me.

So this spring with Danny, we hammered down and tied in footwork to every progression. And I feel like that helped me a ton. But I can also see it with all the other quarterbacks. The footwork really helped us all.

And when I’m on time and on rhythm and seeing things, I feel really good and confident about myself. There’s not a throw I can’t make out on the field. So I think tying in that footwork, just staying in rhythm as much as I can with that. And then when I do have to move in the pocket, not being unnecessary and drifting into more pressure. Just taking what I need in the pocket to not cause stress on the O-line and cause penalties to pop up. I think those are things I’ve been working on this summer and the spring.

How do you diagnose your bad throws? Do you know it right away or do you see it back on film.

Drew Allar: Eight out of 10 times, I probably know it as soon as I throw. That just comes really from training with Brad Maendler back home. Whether it be something mechanically, like I didn’t get my hips all the way through, closed myself off with my front foot, arm was a little weird, opened up my front shoulder, whatever the case is.

I can really feel the footwork, especially now, since we’re so tied into the footwork. I can say, that didn’t feel right. And if I don’t know why, I can just go watch back on the film, ‘Hey, this is why I didn’t feel in rhythm.’

And Danny’s really good with that because he knows the position we’re in and he’s played it in college and the CFL. He knows what it’s supposed to look like and feel. So he’s always having an open dialogue with us throughout practice about what do we see there and what do we think, good and bad. So I think that communication has helped me a ton. But for me, I’m always a feel person. I can kind of see it on the ball, really.

How did you get to that point?

Drew Allar: I’d say I’ve always been a feel person. But I realized I was a feel person when I first started training with Brad back home. Because, I drastically changed my mechanics, and that was all on feel, really. What makes Brad elite is his ability to connect things and make you understand them and really dumb it down because, with the quarterback mechanics, you can get into all these fancy terminologies and words. But, he really dumbs it down and makes it specific to you and whoever he’s training.

So I feel like I really felt that sense of feel. I know what a bad throw feels like. I know what a good throw feels like. Just like the crispness of this and how easy it feels. And when I feel like I’m fighting it, I know I got to just go back through my checklist, whatever it is, and just get back in tune and get back into that rhythm.

Are you chasing the perfect technique or just playing by feel?

Drew Allar: I’m doing both I guess because I always strive for perfection. Obviously, that’s the goal. I know it’s gonna be hard to be that. But as long as I create that feel for what perfection feels like, I can relate back to that and just try to tap into that as much as I can.

Embracing the new Penn State offense

How heavy of a lift are the concepts from Andy Kotelnicki? How is that going?

Drew Allar: I feel like it’s been really good. And I think it’s a credit to the offensive staff and Coach Franklin, really. They sat down when Coach K and a couple of his guys got here with us. And then our staff sat down and said, this is what we called it in Kansas. This is what we called it last year. And they kind of married it to make it really simple on us as players.

We’re not learning a whole new playbook, per se. It is a lot different, but formations are the same calls for us. Most of them, at least. Probably like 85 percent of them. But the tweaks we did make, it was to make it simpler on us and not have to memorize a couple of different tags and just tell us where to go, instead of based on this call, you have to go here. And I think that really helped us as players because we were able to go through it together and walk through it. That really helped us.

And then when we got into spring ball, they sent out voiceovers and installs, which was really helpful for us. But this summer, we really dialed it back to day one install. We’ve installed a couple new things, but it’s really going back over what we installed in spring to reference the play call and repping the difficult things that we ran in the spring. From a quarterback perspective, the play calls are longer, for sure. And it’s different with the headset and wrist band calls. But we got a lot of reps on that in the spring. So I’ve really enjoyed it.

What’s your comfort level with the new offense?

Drew Allar: I feel really good. When I get into fall camp, I’m sure I’m gonna feel better because I’m always a reps guy. The more I can take that rep and physically do it, and then rewatch it back on film, the better I feel about it. And now I’m able to have open dialogue with Coach K, Danny, and Coach Franklin about, ‘Hey, I like this. Hey, I didn’t like it, and this is why.’

And I can offer suggestions. They’re super open to not only me, but really the all the players and getting it down to how we want as players. Because the one difference I will say in the offense, I feel, is we’re a lot more player led this year. Obviously Coach K and the whole offensive staff are tremendous leaders for us. But they’ve really allowed us to step up our game as leaders and I think that’s been really good for us this spring and summer.

Assessing Penn State’s leadership

Should you be a captain?

Drew Allar: Should I be a captain? I’m not going to label myself as a captain. That’s up for my teammates and coaches to decide.

But, I’m going to be out there and be vocal. And I feel like I’ve done a better job of that, even from the spring, of being more vocal and like taking more ownership.

I think it really comes from the comfort level I have in the offense right now and just Coach K and Danny and Coach Franklin really handing me the keys and allowing me to be myself. So I feel like that’s the biggest difference I have intentionally made. It’s just being more of myself and being more open and just being who I’ve always been.

How do define leadership qualities?

Drew Allar: It’s definitely a fine line. Because obviously I’ve been around some great leaders, especially my freshman year. Sean, Tig, PJ. Those are the three that come to mind right off the top of my head. I’d say they were the most respected guys in the program my freshman year. And everybody liked them. Nobody didn’t like them.

It was just that they held everybody else to such a high standard, and they held themselves to such a high standard where, yeah, they did come off – not arrogant, I don’t even know the right word for it – but it was more about of a place like ‘Hey, if we really want to go where we want to go, everybody has to be on board. We can’t have any slackers in the program or anybody doing anything that doesn’t align with our goals and aspirations of winning everything that we want to win this year.’ So it’s really a fine line.

For me personally, in the spring, I was I guess more edgy. ‘Hey, we got to get it going.’ Not yelling at guys, but more motivating guys. There have definitely been some great leaders though that take pride in yelling at guys. That’s just not me. But I think it’s really up to the person and their personality. And I’m developing more of that just because I think it’s necessary at quarterback.

I listen to a lot of Tom Brady. Even Michael Jordan really, his ‘Last Dance’ documentary. Their type of leadership was definitely different. I’m not a guy like that in terms of cussing people out. But I’m gonna hold people accountable just in my style, I guess. Everybody has a different style.

Where is the team from a leadership perspective?

Drew Allar: We have a lot of leaders. You definitely need it. The best teams are always the player-led teams. You can be a really solid team if you’re a coach driven team. But if you’re a player led team, I think you can make that jump from good to great and to elite.

We have some great leaders on this team. One guy that I specifically see on a day-to-day basis be a great leader, and he’s more of the edgy guy on our team is KJ Winston . Everybody respects him. Everybody loves KJ, his work ethic. And he’s not afraid to get in your face and yell at you and tell you you’re not doing the right thing, you need to step it up. And I love that about KJ because we definitely need that on our team and there’s a balance to it. Coming from one of the hardest, easily top five hardest workers on the team, and the way he takes care of himself and just everything he’s about is really good. KJ has done a phenomenal job with that.

It’s on a team to team basis. Because my freshman year, it was definitely like three to five solid leaders. And other than that, there was definitely a drop off. Last year, I felt like we were good as a leadership, but it was a lot more spread out. And this year it’s definitely spread out again. But I think we have more leaders overall that are stronger leaders. Not stronger leaders, but more leaders that got stuff to them, like KJ, Zane, Nick Dawkins. Nick and Kaytron, even though they don’t talk at all, they’re leaders on the team.

And really, the biggest difference I’ve seen is Fleming, Liam, and Trey. The leadership in that room has drastically increased, and it’s been cool to see that progress.

Surveying Penn State’s receivers

How do you feel the receivers are now?

Drew Allar: They’re 10 times ahead, even from where we were in spring. And I think it’s really been the three leaders in that room. Trey, Liam and Fleming. I think they’ve really taken it upon themselves to change that culture. And I’ve seen strides from Kaden and Omari too, of being those next guys. They’re they’re eager to learn, they’re eager to work with those guys. Those two have elevated their games this year.

And then honestly, with Peter Gonzalez coming in and Tyseer, they’re different young guys. They want to play and they got their mindset like the older guys. They’re here to compete and they’re here to learn from those guys.

I think it’s really just like healthy respect in that room. They’re all looking out for each other. They’re all really driving each other to be great. And I think honestly, that really starts from Coach Hagans allowing them to be themselves. I think that room like is at a different level right now.

Does the turnover in the room create clarity for your receivers?

Drew Allar: I have confidence in all the receivers in our room. Kaden had a great spring ball. Omari has tremendous amount of talent and he’s really taken that next step in his game of being the guy that he wants to be every play and every opportunity he has. He is one of the biggest, physical guys on the team in the receiver room. Probably not as big as Fleming and Liam, like muscle, but he’s really well put together. He’s explosive, obviously. He can run whatever 40 he wants. But I think I’ve seen him take that step in his mentality and approaching everything like it’s his last down. And I think that’s been really cool to see, because that’s been his biggest area of growth since our freshman year together.

And I’d say the same thing with Kaden. Kaden has taken his game to the next level. And I think really, Fleming has helped him a ton. So it’s just really cool to see everybody’s evolution. Everybody has a different journey, but Kaden and Omari are on a really good track right now and I’m super proud of them.

Quick hitters

What’s you’re comfort level as a running quarterback?

Drew Allar: I got no problem with it. I actually enjoy it. There’s like a narrative that I don’t like running the ball. But that’s kind of never been me, because I was always a fullback before I played quarterback. Probably my high school coach. He never ran me.

Even if it’s a prepared answer, I’m interested to know how you’re looking at the NFL Draft and what comes after this season.

Drew Allar: I’ve definitely thought about it for sure. But it’s not my main concern or main focus. I want to have the best year possible that I can, not only for me, but the team.

We always talk about it, with team success comes individual success. And if everybody’s team-first, everybody’s individual recognition will come. We have a lot of guys on the team that I think don’t get the recognition they deserve. But once we start getting that ball out and the pads are on, I think we’ll start seeing those guys get their names out there more.

So with that stuff, I could care less about like the national media and kind of comparing apples to apples now, because next year’s draft is 10 months away or something like that. There’s a lot of things can change. And there’s been plenty of stories of that. So I’m not concerned about that.

I’m concerned about being the best I can for Penn State and whatever happens after the year, I’ll get to that when that happens. I have no decision made up in my mind.

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