Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Penn State

Greg McElroy explains where he ranked Drew Allar on Top 10 college football quarterback list

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs05/11/25grant_grubbs_
Drew Allar Penn State Football Orange Bowl On3
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (Matt Krohn-Imagn Images)

In April, Greg McElroy projected Penn State‘s Drew Allar to be the fourth-best quarterback in college football next season. On Always College Football with Greg McElroy, the ESPN analyst explained his reasoning.

“If you look at where Drew Allar was last year, there were some aspects of his game the year before that I really liked,” McElroy said. “He’s smart. He’s taking what the defense gives him. He’s not taking any unnecessary risks. But then you go back and you watch him, you’re like, ‘Well, he’s got plenty of arm. His weapons are good enough. Why aren’t we pushing it down the field?’

“Then, last year, with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, you saw them start to take the top off the defense with a lot more regularity… But, Drew Allar, his confidence grew as the season went along. He’s already a very efficient player, but now he’s an efficient player to every corner of the field.”

Drew Allar is entering his third season as Penn State’s QB1. With Andy Kotelnicki calling the plays last season, Allar took a step forward, completing 66.5% of his pass attempts for 3,327 yards and 24 touchdowns, while throwing eight interceptions.

Allar also recorded a career-high 302 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. His efforts propelled Penn State to its first College Football Playoff appearance.

The Nittany Lions didn’t allow the opportunity to go to waste. They defeated SMU and Boise State to reach the CFP semifinals before ultimately falling to Notre Dame.

Allar had an ugly showing against the Fighting Irish. He completed just 12-of-his-23 pass attempts for 135 total yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown but did throw an interception. McElroy believes that Allar will learn from the lackluster performance and take a leap forward in the 2025 campaign.

“There’s a lot of reason to believe that he’s in a really good spot to take a leap forward,” McElroy said. “No one denies the talent. The talent is there. His decision making process, for the most part, is there. I think now is about going from being a really good player to an elite player, and I think he’s a guy that can potentially do that with his skill set.”

It won’t be long before Allar has a chance to prove McElroy correct. On Aug. 30, Penn State will kick off the 2025 campaign with a showdown against Nevada.