Drew Allar’s college career appeared over after a devastating ankle injury ended his 2025 season at Penn State. But now, with whispers of a potential medical hardship waiver, one Big 12 program has emerged as an intriguing destination for him. TCU sits at 6-3 this season. It is hardly the glamorous record you’d associate with a top quarterback prospect. So why would the Horned Frogs be the perfect landing spot for a player who was once considered a potential first-round NFL Draft pick?

The answer came straight from PSU recruiting’s Twitter feed. Their tweet read, “TCU is an underrated landing spot for Drew Allar if the NCAA approves his waiver. 1. Spread offensive scheme that likes to attack you vertically. 2. TCU, as of late, have been producing absolute dogs at WR for Drew to throw to. 3. Less pressure to perform at TCU. 4. Sonny Dykes is great at developing QBs.”

To their credit, the Horned Frogs have built one of the most explosive passing attacks in the nation this season. TCU ranks 11th nationally in passing offense. They average 303.4 yards per game through the air. That’s an environment where a pure pocket passer like Allar could absolutely thrive. Current TCU quarterback Josh Hoover’s willingness to air it out (averaging 37.2 passing attempts per game) shows the aggressive, vertical nature of the offense. 

One of the most compelling arguments for Allar to consider TCU revolves around the receiving talent he’d have at his disposal. The Horned Frogs have developed a reputation for producing high-level wide receivers. Senior wideout Eric McAlister has been an absolute weapon, hauling in 48 receptions for 834 yards and eight touchdowns. He averages a robust 17.4 yards per catch. Add in Jordan Dwyer and Joseph Manjack IV, and you’ve got a formidable receiving corps. That big-play ability would give Allar a legitimate deep threat who can win contested catches and take the top off defenses.

Perhaps the most convincing piece of the puzzle is Sonny Dykes himself. The TCU head coach has an impressive resume for developing quarterbacks. At Cal, Dykes took a chance on a true freshman, Jared Goff. He became the first true freshman to start a season opener in Cal history. That gamble paid off handsomely. Goff went on to set the Cal record with 3,508 passing yards as a freshman. Goff, of course, went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

For Allar, working with a quarterback-whisperer like Dykes would be transformative. Allar has shown flashes of brilliance at Penn State, but never quite put it all together consistently. 

The combination of these factors makes TCU a surprisingly logical destination for Drew Allar. But that is if (and it’s a significant if) the NCAA grants him that medical hardship waiver. For now, it remains a compelling what-if scenario. But it could dramatically reshape both Allar’s future and TCU’s quarterback situation heading into 2026.

NCAA’s medical waiver situation 

This is where things get complicated for Allar. The Penn State quarterback suffered an injury that required surgery and ended his season prematurely. But because he played in more than four games this year and has exhausted his eligibility after four years at Penn State, his college career should technically be over. However, there’s a slim possibility he could pursue a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to gain an additional year of eligibility.

NCAA medical hardship waiver rules are strict and fairly straightforward. To qualify, a student-athlete cannot have participated in more than 30 percent of contests or three games (whichever is greater). And the injury must have occurred before the halfway point of the season. Allar’s situation is tricky because he played in six games before his injury.

Most analysts believe his chances of receiving a waiver are unlikely given these circumstances, but stranger things have happened in college athletics. If the NCAA were to change its eligibility rules or if Allar’s camp could make a compelling case, TCU could suddenly become a realistic destination for the 6-foot-4, 235-pound signal-caller.