A Big Ten coach said Penn State coaches did not “maximize” QB Drew Allar.

05 May 2026

The coach, speaking to ESPN anonymously, expressed optimism that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy would get the most out of Allar, who was taken in the third round of the 2026 draft. “Hopefully [Pittsburgh] will be a coaching staff that can maximize what he’s good at,” the Big Ten coach said. “I’m not really sure that was the case [at Penn State].” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg said Allar, who threw 49 touchdowns over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, “would have been among the top quarterbacks drafted in 2025 if he skipped his senior season.” Allar’s final season started slowly and was cut short by an ankle injury. In Pittsburgh, he will likely sit behind Aaron Rodgers to begin the season if Rodgers finally decides to return to the Steelers for another season.