Less than a week after Penn State’s College Football Playoff run came to a screeching halt, quarterback Drew Allar decided to officially return for a fourth season with the Nittany Lions, according to multiple reports.
Allar, who managed just 135 passing yards and threw a costly interception during Penn State’s loss to Notre Dame in the semifinals Friday, originally told the coaching staff back in December that he planned to return, according to ESPN at the time, but the outlet added Friday in a different report that Allar “has remained on scouts’ radar” in case he changed his mind — since he still had an opportunity to pivot.
If he opted to keep his name in the 2025 NFL Draft, Allar would’ve likely been one of the better quarterbacks available behind Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, Jalen Milroe and others, but instead, he’ll join a 2026 group that will likely include Arch Manning and Carson Beck.
Allar entered Penn State as the No. 1 quarterback prospect — and the No. 3 overall prospect — in the Class of 2022. After spending his freshman season as the backup to Sean Clifford, he took over the starting job last season and collected 25 touchdowns while tossing just two interceptions.
Then, he threw for 2,668 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions during the 2024 regular season, before helping Penn State defeat SMU and Boise State, by a combined 45 points, to start the CFP.
With a spot in the title game at stake, though, Allar struggled against the Fighting Irish, with one of his worst throws occurring with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter — and the game tied — to set up Notre Dame for a game-winning field goal.
“We didn’t win the game so it wasn’t good enough, it’s plain and simple,” Allar told reporters after the loss to Notre Dame. “I’ll try to learn from it, do everything in my power to get better and just grow from it.”
And after Monday, that’ll include another year at Penn State with a chance to run it back and secure another spot in the expanded playoffs.
