There’s pressure… and then there’s whatever Drew Allar’s walking into right now. He’s stepping into his final season in Happy Valley with a fanbase already picturing Playoff banners and a head coach hanging by a thread. Drew Allar could’ve bounced for the 2025 NFL Draft—probably locked in as a top-five pick, maybe even a hometown pick at 2. But he didn’t. Drew Allar came back—maybe for glory, maybe for redemption, or maybe just to clean up the mess Notre Dame left on Hard Rock Stadium’s turf this winter. But he sure came with a secret weapon. Nope, it’s not Trebor Pena or that RB duo.

Let’s recall the mess before getting into a secret weapon. That mess? Oh, it was nasty. Penn State’s 13-win season meant absolutely zero when Allar chucked up a Hail Mary interception that Notre Dame DB Christian Gray snatched like rent was due. Next play? Irish walk-off field goal. Boom. Season gone. That one throw didn’t just end the game—it lit a fire under James Franklin’s seat. Fans weren’t mad, they were exhausted. Because for all the hype, Penn State still couldn’t beat a top-10 team when it mattered.

Franklin heard it all offseason. So he moved fast. He yanked in Devonte Ross from Troy—a 1,000-yard man with 11 tuddies. Trebor Pena from Cuse? Another near-1K receiver. Toss in returning RBs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who quietly bulldozed over 1,000 rushing yards combined. Franklin also said, “Bet,” and pulled off a power move by bringing in ex-Ohio State DC Jim Knowles to tighten up that defense. But the biggest shift? It’s what Drew Allar’s been cooking up behind the scenes.

On June 14th, his longtime QB coach Brad Maendler dropped the nugget. While chatting with 247Sports, Maendler gave fans the inside scoop on Allar’s off-season weapon upgrade: “I think his biggest on field area of improvement is just his ability to extend plays, right? So part of that’s just comfort level, really understanding the playbook, that ability to move and slide in the pockets and keep your cool and so just improved mobility means that that that should get even better, right? And I think that’s such a secret weapon of his. Everybody kind of talks about the arm and those kinds of things.” And he isn’t lying. In 2024, Allar went from statue to Houdini.

Under new OC Andy Kotelnicki, his footwork got smoother, pocket presence tighter, and his mobility opened up plays. From a rough sophomore ride with sub-60% accuracy to a 66.5% finisher with 3,327 yards and 24 TDs? That’s a glow-up. Vegas even slapped +1400 on him for the 2025 Heisman. Maendler’s been molding Allar since high school, fine-tuning his mechanics with a biomechanical approach built on lower-body torque and cleaner throws. He didn’t just build a QB—he engineered one. And when he says Allar’s mobility might be the best in the country this year? Believe that.

Maendler doubles down on his secret weapon: “His ability to extend plays is, I think, one of the best in the country… I’m pretty bullish on what that could look like this year.” That’s a bold claim. But hey—look at the film. Allar dodged pressure like he owed somebody money, extended broken plays, and made something out of nothing more than once. He’s not just a deep ball launcher now. He’s a chaos manager. And in 2025? That chaos might just be Penn State’s biggest asset.

James Franklin better hope it is.

Joel Klatt puts James Franklin on the hot seat for 2025 playoff push

You’d think finally breaking into the Playoff would buy James Franklin some time, right? Wrong. Not for James Franklin. Not in this conference. And definitely not with Joel Klatt watching. On his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show,” the Fox Sports analyst didn’t sugarcoat anything. He laid out a pressure index for college football head coaches—and guess who made the cut? Yup. Franklin. Despite a 101-42 record and three straight 10-win seasons, Klatt said the leash is shorter than ever.

“For James Franklin, it’s time,” Klatt said. “Everybody around that program knows it. He knows it. His coordinators know it. This is a program that’s built itself on solid footing… Yet, here’s the problem.” That problem? Franklin still can’t win the big one. His record vs. Top 10 teams? 4–20. Top 5? 1–15. Ranked teams? 12–26. It’s like he’s allergic to marquee wins. They haven’t beaten Ohio State since 2016. Michigan? Franklin’s record against them is just as bad—4–16 vs. the Big Ten’s final bosses. Every time the lights hit max brightness, Penn State turns into background extras.

Klatt called them “matched-up games”—the games where both teams have equal juice. And somehow, Franklin keeps getting out-coached, out-schemed, and outplayed when it matters. Penn State wins when they’re supposed to. But when it’s go time? When the stakes are sky high? They fold under the pressure. And Klatt didn’t hold back on what’s coming. He circled the Oregon white-out game as the moment. If Franklin flops in that one? The whole season could spiral.

“If they lose to Oregon,” Klatt warned, “the conversation will become: same old Penn State. Same old James Franklin. And that affects everything. From recruiting… to the Big Ten race… to the seat he’s sitting on.” The schedule ain’t doing him any favors either. After Oregon, they still gotta face Ohio State and Michigan. Three heavyweights. And one misstep could nuke their Big Ten title shot.

Franklin knows it. Allar knows it. Hell, even the stakeholders at Beaver Stadium probably know it. This is a prove-it year. Not just for Drew. For everybody wearing blue and white. And if Franklin slips? There might not be a next year to prove anything at all.