DANIA BEACH, Fla. — When Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki meets with quarterback Drew Allar earlier than Thursday’s School Soccer Playoff semifinal sport in opposition to Notre Dame, his message will not change.
“‘You put together your ass off for these type of moments,'” Kotelnicki mentioned of his pregame message to Allar, following the staff’s arrival Tuesday for the Capital One Orange Bowl. “‘Go on the market and have enjoyable. Belief your self.’ As a result of he rehearses the performs like a professional. I do know he desires to play professional soccer, and he rehearses the best way a professional ought to, by way of referencing calls, reads, getting gamers lined up the suitable means, all that type of stuff, he does it at an especially excessive degree.”
Allar has made apparent strides in his first season beneath Kotelnicki, finishing 71.6% of his passes through the common season. The junior’s accuracy has dropped off within the postseason, although, as he accomplished 51.3% of his passes in opposition to Oregon within the Huge Ten championship sport loss and solely 26 of 47 makes an attempt in CFP wins in opposition to SMU and Boise State. He did throw three landing passes in opposition to each the Geese and Broncos.
However Allar’s worth goes past passing effectivity. He has allowed Kotelnicki to implement extra inventive formations, personnel groupings and performs for Penn State’s offense.
“We are able to we do all that stuff, as a result of Drew permits us to try this stuff,” Kotelnicki mentioned. “He is bought a giant mind, and he loves soccer and all of the issues which can be required to be the quarterback. However then his understanding of the place the ball’s going and why, his coachability has actually began to take off. It is A to Z now. Earlier than, it was simply type of A to M.”
Allar, who noticed his completion proportion improve from 59.9 in 2023 to 67.4 this season, introduced in December that he intends to return to Penn State in 2025 somewhat than enter the NFL draft. He ought to enter the 2025 season as one of many high professional prospects at quarterback, though, like Penn State’s staff, he is nonetheless looking for signature wins. They’ll get a chance for one in opposition to No. 7 seed Notre Dame. Allar’s solely losses as Penn State’s starter have come in opposition to Ohio State, Oregon and Ole Miss within the 2023 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
“Drew’s coming into this sport figuring out that there is a whole lot of weight on his shoulders,” Penn State tight finish Khalil Dinkins informed ESPN. “I am positive it will get to him, being the quarterback and the whole lot, a whole lot of strain. However the factor is, our O-line, our tight ends, our receivers, our working backs, we’ll do the whole lot we will to maintain that load off of him. I believe he will come into the sport with very a lot confidence in his talents.”
Allar didn’t meet with reporters Tuesday after the staff arrived in Florida however mentioned Saturday {that a} second season as a starter has helped form his management and the way a lot and when to show emotion throughout video games. He spoke with Kotelnicki, head coach James Franklin and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien about returning to a “level-headed” place after an emotional excessive or low.
“I am extraordinarily aggressive in the whole lot that I do, and I wish to win and I wish to be excellent in the whole lot that I do,” Allar mentioned. “So it type of stems from that, however I additionally needed to be intentional about it, as a result of there’s good occasions to indicate emotion like that, however there’s additionally unhealthy occasions to indicate it. Enjoying quarterback, you undoubtedly must be cool, calm, collected.”