ESPN ranks Drew Allar as second most important player in CFP race
It’s safe to say there are a ton of expectations on the shoulders of sophomore quarterback Drew Allar heading into the 2023 season.
The former five-star was dubbed as the talent that could get Penn State into the elusive College Football Playoff and back into contention for Big Ten titles.
While James Franklin hasn’t officially named Allar as the starting quarterback for the upcoming season, the expectation is he’ll be given the reigns to the program.
It’s hard not to expect the potential upside that comes with the talent the sophomore has. He was able to flash a bit of his potential in the limited snaps he got last season as a true freshman.
The idea and hope for many people around Penn State is that a quarterback of his caliber is the only thing that is separating the Nittany Lions from making the College Football Playoff.
ESPN seems to think the same thing.
Staff writer Bill Connelly put out his list of most important players in the 2023 College Football Playoff with the Penn State quarterback sitting second on the list.\
He classifies Allar as a player who can make a “potential game-changing leap” for teams that are considered contenders.
Connelly writes, “The Nittany Lions need to find a smidgen more upside, in other words. You know, the kind that a blue-chip, throw-it-over-the-moon quarterback can deliver.”
The biggest thing standing in their way is the lack of recent success against both Ohio State and Michigan. They have lost six straight to the Buckeyes and two in a row against the Wolverines.
“The cannon-armed Allar likely takes over, and with other spectacular sophomores around him… he’ll set about trying to close the gap,” writes Connelly.
His prediction for what happens in 2023?
“At worst, PSU’s a potential spoiler for either the Buckeyes or Wolverines in 2023. At best, the Nittany Lions are contenders.”
The Penn State program and its fans are hoping it’s the latter.
