Drew Allar's Return Sets the Tone for Penn State's 2025 Title Push
The college football community was taken aback when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar announced he would forego the NFL Draft in favor of returning for his senior season in 2025. With a career total of almost 6,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, Allar is among the nation's top returning quarterbacks.Meanwhile, in June, Beau Pribula, a backup from Penn State, committed to Missouri after logging into the transfer portal. The Tigers are expected to benefit from Pribula's versatility and a reported $1.5 million NIL deal as a dual-threat playmaker.Following comments from several sources that supported his choice, Allar wrote on X, "I'm coming back to finish what we started."Penn State will need to rely on depth options like Ethan Grunkemeyer in fall camp now that Pribula is gone. Andy Kotelnicki is offensive coordinator It might be necessary to reduce the number of gadget packages and rely more on Allar's arm and expertise.Penn State has a strong three-game home stretch as they begin the 2025 campaign at Beaver Stadium:Nevada vs. August 30 (CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET)FIU vs. Sept. 6 (Big Ten Network, noon ET)Villanova vs. Sept. 13 (FS1, 3:30 p.m. ET)Although their non-conference schedule is frequently referred to as a "joke of a slate," the Nittany Lions will soon face a much more difficult Big Ten schedule, which allows them to establish continuity behind an Allar-led offense.Allar's perseverance and choice to stick around demonstrate his self-assurance and the program's traction. Penn State could ride that quarterback stability into another postseason run if Happy Valley's electrifying home environment supports him.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
21 minutes ago
- Forbes
Success Of Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson Is Tied To Caleb Williams
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles, right, speaks as head coach Ben Johnson, left, listens ... More before introducing new players Drew Dalman and Dayo Odeyingbo at Halas Hall on March 13, 2025, in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) Patience has indeed proven to be a virtue with Ryan Poles, the Chicago Bears' fourth-year general manager. He was hired for a four-year term in 2022 and is being rewarded with a contract extension that runs through 2029. This gives Poles an eight-year commitment from Bears ownership and president Kevin Warren despite his having produced a 15-36 record in his first two seasons. His predecessor, Ryan Pace, had a 48-65 record over seven seasons, including a 22-27 mark in his final three. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Friday Poles is receiving an extension that gives him the same timing on his deal as head coach Ben Johnson, who Poles hired in January after making Matt Eberflus the Bears' first-ever coach fired in midseason. Poles had hired Eberflus on his third day on the job after inheriting a coaching search that had been run at the same time Chairman George McCaskey was searching for a new GM to replace Pace. It was a dubious process that did little other than to allow the Bears to assemble talent through the draft in the Eberflus years, biding their time in hope of becoming relevant again. That time arrives in 2025, with the Bears hoping for at least a winning season in the deep NFC North. The success of quarterback Caleb Williams, who was taken with the first overall pick in the '24 draft, is critical for both Poles and Johnson, who chose to sign with Chicago after earning respect while building an explosive offense behind Jared Goff in Detroit. Poles has proven to be a skilled negotiator in seemingly upgrading the roster. He rebuilt the offensive line after Williams was sacked 68 times in his rookie season, adding Chiefs All-Pro guard Joe Thuney at the cost of only a fourth-round pick while also signing free agent center Drew Dalman and trading for guard Jonah Jackson. His signature move was the trading of the first overall pick to Carolina in '23, which at the time committed a third season to struggling quarterback Justin Fields, whom Poles had inherited from Pace. Rather than draft Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, he took wide receiver D.J. Moore and a package of draft pick to allow the Panthers to move from ninth to first overall. Poles turned those picks into Williams, tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, punter Tory Taylor and wide receiver Luther Burden III. "Yeah, I feel pretty good," Poles said after selecting Burden in the second round last April. 'I think it's worked out for us.' The moves have certainly worked well for Poles, who had worked in the Chiefs' front office before being hired by McCaskey. The hope is they also work out for the franchise and its fans. Leila Rahimi, the insightful talk show host for WSCR, summed up the feeling in Chicago nicely. 'You just got paid for winning an offseason, not a season,' Rahimi said. 'I want to see a season.'
NBC Sports
21 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Deion Sanders: NCAA should adopt NFL rules like two feet in bounds, pass interference
Deion Sanders wants to see standardized rules across both college and pro football. Sanders said at the Big 12 media days that the NCAA should adopt the NFL's rules to better prepare college players for the pros. Sanders cited the NFL's rule requiring receivers to get two feet in bounds on a catch and placing the ball at the spot of the foul on pass interference as rules he'd like to see applied to college football. 'I'd like the professional rules to be implemented in college,' Sanders said. 'They're getting ready to be pros. So let's go two feet in on the catches. Let's mark the foul with pass interference. Let's do the same thing the pro game is, let's do it in college.' Current NCAA rules require only one foot down on a catch, and cap pass interference penalties at 15 yards. Sanders didn't specify whether he wants the NCAA and NFL rulebooks to be identical, but other significant changes between the college and pro game include overtime rules, certain timing rules, the placement of the hashmarks on the field, and whether a ball carrier needs to be touched by a defender to be ruled down by contact. Standardizing the rules might help to prepare college players for the pros, but many fans enjoy some of the differences between the two sports, and the NCAA has never viewed itself as just a minor league for the NFL. It's unlikely that Sanders' proposal would get much traction.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mets meet the Royals with 1-0 series lead
New York Mets (54-41, second in the NL East) vs. Kansas City Royals (46-49, third in the AL Central) Kansas City, Missouri; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Frankie Montas (1-1, 6.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 12 strikeouts); Royals: Michael Lorenzen (5-8, 4.61 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 85 strikeouts) Advertisement BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Mets -128, Royals +108; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets bring a 1-0 lead into the next game of the series against the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City has a 23-25 record in home games and a 46-49 record overall. The Royals have a 14-1 record in games when they hit two or more home runs. New York has a 54-41 record overall and a 21-27 record on the road. The Mets have the fifth-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .324. The matchup Saturday is the second time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Vinnie Pasquantino has 14 doubles, a triple and 15 home runs for the Royals. Salvador Perez is 15 for 39 with four doubles and four home runs over the past 10 games. Advertisement Juan Soto has 15 doubles and 22 home runs while hitting .265 for the Mets. Brandon Nimmo is 12 for 39 with two doubles and three home runs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 7-3, .258 batting average, 3.58 ERA, outscored opponents by 10 runs Mets: 6-4, .239 batting average, 4.65 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs INJURIES: Royals: Cole Ragans: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Mark Canha: 10-Day IL (elbow), Daniel Lynch: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Massey: 10-Day IL (ankle), Hunter Harvey: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alec Marsh: 60-Day IL (shoulder), James McArthur: 60-Day IL (elbow) Mets: Jesse Winker: 10-Day IL (back), Starling Marte: 10-Day IL (knee), Tylor Megill: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jose Butto: 15-Day IL (illness), Dedniel Nunez: 15-Day IL (elbow), Paul Blackburn: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Griffin Canning: 60-Day IL (achilles), Jose Siri: 60-Day IL (shin), Max Kranick: 15-Day IL (elbow), Brooks Raley: 60-Day IL (elbow), Danny Young: 60-Day IL (elbow), A.J. Minter: 60-Day IL (lat), Sean Manaea: 60-Day IL (oblique), Nick Madrigal: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Drew Smith: 60-Day IL (elbow), Christian Scott: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
