Both James Franklin and Drew Allar got hit by plot twists at the same time. Allar’s season ended with that brutal ankle injury in the 22-21 loss to Northwestern. Franklin saw the exit door the very next day. Even through the chaos, the two stayed in touch. Now that Franklin has rebooted his career with the Virginia Tech Hokies, Allar opened up about unbreakable bonds.

On the November 20th episode of the Penn State Football on Blue White Illustrated podcast, Allar took questions from the reporters. The analyst was asked to share his thoughts about Franklin’s new chapter. “I’m very excited for him,” said Allar. “He’s going to do a great job at Virginia Tech. I think it’s a great spot for him.”

This was never the script Allar and Franklin imagined for 2025. The plan was for Allar to help Penn State finally chase down a national title after coming so close last year. Here they are, dealing with season-ending injuries and pink slips. However, Allar, being the positive soul, hoped for positivity in Franklin’s life. He responded to the news of the firing with a touching photo of the pair and a crossed-fingers emoji.

Looks like the universe listened to Allar’s prayers.

Significantly, Franklin was officially introduced as the Virginia Tech Hokies head coach on November 19 at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum. “Kind of trying to leave him alone, though, right now, since I know he has a pretty busy schedule with everything that he’s got going on. But it’s going to be really fun to,” said Allar.

The quarterback knows the former Penn State coach needs to prove his worth. Franklin joined the 100-win club at Penn State in 2024 and delivered seven top-12 finishes, seven New Year’s Six bowl berths, four wins, and a Big Ten title. But after a disastrous start this season, 0-3 in the Big Ten and unranked by Week 7 despite a preseason No. 2 spot, the Nittany Lions’ patience finally snapped.

Now that he is at Hokies, he has tapped into the energy from the very beginning. With Cassell Coliseum buzzing and every seat filled, Franklin rolled in and dropped a message for the Virginia Tech basketball crowd. “Let’s have this place rocking tonight to help our basketball team. Let’s make sure Lane Stadium is rocking on Saturday,” said Franklin.

The momentum is already building, and his first proving ground arrives this weekend (November 22) in the matchup with Miami. Unfortunately, things won’t be smooth for Allar. 

Drew Allar’s future lies in the dark

Allar spoke to the media for the first time since his injury over Zoom on Thursday. His season went from cruising to chaos in a flash. The Penn State gunslinger stacked 1,100 yards, hit 64.8% of his throws, and punched in eight TDs in just six games. Then, a left ankle fracture on October 11 put the brakes on everything. But Allar isn’t crying about it.

With the NFL already sliding into his DMs, he’s moving at his own pace. Allar will not force anything until he’s 100% ready.

Mark Wogenric asked about the QB’s readiness for the NFL Combine. “I’m not going to get into that too much just because there’s a lot of lot of things that have to go in a certain way,” said Allar. “And I don’t want to rush anything back because I have a lot of time.”

For Medina native Allar, everything changed in an instant. During Penn State’s tight 22-21 fall to Northwestern, he got hurt on a 1-yard up-the-gut scramble on 3rd-and-4. Once he reached the sideline, the cart came out. With his eligibility officially up, that moment doubled as the final play of his Penn State journey. His future hopes to find balance.

PSU recruiting’s Twitter account tweeted, “TCU is an underrated landing spot for Drew Allar if the NCAA approves his waiver.”

Since Drew Allar has logged more than four games in each of the last four seasons, his eligibility clock has officially run out. His options are down to two: jump to the NFL or pray the NCAA grants him one more shot in college colors.