Penn State QB Drew Allar is gearing up for an explosive season. The off-season grind saw to that. “His body has changed. He’s more athletic. He’s faster. He’s more explosive,” Penn State Football’s Tyler Donohue put it. But let’s put him in another perspective, more of an academic one. As per the guidelines, student-athletes must balance their athletics while keeping their credits afloat to keep their eligibility intact. Undoubtedly, it’s challenging. After toiling hard on the turf, you ace that test as well, juggling books while you tie up your cleats. So, how is James Franklin’s QB treading that rope?

Much to the Nittany Lion’s delight, Allar is faring well, perfectly balancing both his college obligations. According to the head coach himself, “Allar has taken enough credits that he only has one class left this fall before graduating,” Franklin said, per Joel Hass. To sum it up, Drew has earned enough credits that he needs to take just one class to qualify for graduation this fall semester. The head coach further added that, probably, about 10 players are present in a similar situation. The Nittany Lions’ QB1 is majoring in Recreational Parks and Tourism Management with a minor in sport studies.

So, is that an advantage? Yes. He will have a minimum academic requirement to fulfill, as the regular season courses throughout the fall have little academic slice remaining before graduation. It’s a pretty favorable situation. A leverage to spend more time concentrating on football. Of course, that doesn’t mean more time in the field. The NCAA has put a limit of 20 hours per week of practice for student-athletes. Of course, not every program is known to strictly follow this, but we expect James Franklin to follow the proper way.

The James Franklin announcement for Drew Allar comes at a time when the quarterback was named in the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list. The award looks at both the on-field and off-field actions of student athletes. One of the components? Academic achievements. Along with leadership and character. If we know anything about Allar, he excels in all categories and can easily win the award at the end of the season.

Last season, Drew chipped in 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, and two interceptions over 13 games. It upped his QB stock, and he was considered among the best QBs in college football. At B1G Media Days, James Franklin has vowed to change the narrative around the team. “If we want the narrative to change, we got an opportunity to change it. We want people to shut up? We can shut them up real easy.” So, here’s their chance to have a go at it.

What about Julian Sayin, Bryce Underwood, and others?

Now, zooming in on other starting quarterbacks. Let’s start with freshman Bryce Underwood. Undoubtedly brimming with potential, to the point that he emerged as one of the youngest quarterbacks the program had ever seen. He is straight out of high school. Would he be able to juggle academics with football?

Coming to Julian Sayin, although he has shown impressive talent in the off-season, he is an inexperienced quarterback. Penn State is scheduled to play against them in November. Then, Oregon’s Dante Moore stepped into the shoes of Dillon Gabriel. Then, Bruins Nico Iamaleava and Dylan Raiola, and SEC powerhouse Texas’ Arch Manning all have to study while giving their 100% on the field. Not to forget Carson Beck.

As for Miami, Mario Cristobal recently spoke about student-athletes juggling both sports and academics. He had announced that the academic classes would begin mid-fall camp, two weeks prior to the game against Notre Dame. But then, Miami athletics has posted a more than decent GPA record for eight years.