Penn State QB Drew Allar pushed hard for a path back to the Nittany Lions for one more year. After his season-ending injury, a medical redshirt felt like the one avenue that could keep that hope alive. But the NCAA eligibility rules weren’t nearly as forgiving as he needed them to be, leaving his case far more uncertain.

“Penn State QB Drew Allar tells ESPN he considered a medical redshirt but learned he’s not eligible. On Sirius XM on Tuesday, former college coach Jimbo Fisher said he thinks Allar would have benefited from another season of college football,” Penn State insider Mike Poorman said on X.

To be eligible for the medical red-shirt, the injury has to occur early in the season, and the athlete can’t have participated in more than roughly a third of the season. Allar had already crossed that threshold well before his injury, which meant he was automatically out of contention for the waiver.

Now, unless the NCAA’s eligibility rules change, Drew Allar will not be considered for a medical redshirt, but the NFL draft is still on his cards. Now, six weeks after undergoing a season-ending injury for a broken ankle, he’s recovering with pure optimism and making plans.

“I’ve played a lot of high-level football,” Penn State quarterback Drew Allar told ESPN on Tuesday. “I have a lot of film to speak for myself. The best option for me is to move on to the next level.”

In the past four years, Drew Allar played in 45 games for Penn State, throwing for 7,402 yards, 61 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Last year, Allar guided the Nittany Lions to a 13-3 season and a semifinal appearance in the college football playoffs. Despite the production, one more year in college would have lifted Allar’s NFL draft status. Even former Texas A&M and Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher believes he could have “benefited from another season.”

Coming into the season, Allar was one of the top quarterbacks for the 2026 NFL draft and as high as the No. 1 draft pick. His combination of arm strength, movement skills, and size was mainly the reason behind this rise. But after Penn State’s losses against UCLA and Northwestern and ending the season abruptly, he is nowhere on the list. Now, staying for an extra year would have been an add-on to his resume and odds.

Allar is now part of a large and unpredictable group of quarterbacks who are in the race for the next NFL Draft. Initial film reviews indicate that none of these quarterbacks are in their full form, and some might even opt out to stay in college to improve their gameplay.

On top of it, even though Allar’s getting better, his injury might be concerning for NFL teams. Now, the only way Allar can impress scouts is during the pre-draft process and rise in the rankings to regain his top-ranked status.

With that Penn State’s coaching search surges.

Penn State gets a new name on its coaching carousel

Penn State’s coaching search takes another turn. After hooking up Terry Smith with an interview, there’s another big name popping in to replace James Franklin. Betting platform Kalshi now lists James Madison coach Bob Chesney as their favorite, giving him a 39% chance to land Penn State’s job, and even Marcus Freeman surged to second place, holding 26% odds.

Marcus Freeman was always on Penn State’s radar, and even On3’s analyst Pete Nakos noted that momentum back in October.

“One name that Pat Kraft may make a run at is Notre Dame’s,” sources have told On3. The 39-year-old head coach is 37-11 in three seasons in South Bend and took the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff national title game last season,” Nakos said.

But interest in Chesney, too, makes sense. As in his second season with James Madison, this man holds a 17-5 record with them and a 128-51 overall record. On top of it, with a 10-1 record, they are already in playoff contention. Yet Chesney isn’t giving attention to outside noise.

“We’re trying to win games, stay focused, and not worry about anything else,” Chesney said. “These are things that are important for the community and for the guys who got us here. It’d be foolish and unfair to just brush it under the rug and say it doesn’t exist because it does.”

Now, let’s wait and see which coach actually takes the reins at Penn State and which one is left out.