What Penn State Football can expect from heralded early enrollees

Penn State Football welcomed 10 early enrollees to the program in January, but what can those individuals, as well as the team as a whole, gain from each one specifically?

One thing that is true of each of Penn State Football’ss 10 early enrollees is that they will all get a head start on adjusting to the balance of being a student-athlete at the Division I level.

It is better for them to go through it in the spring semester than it is for them to first go through it during the season.

Enrolling early also gives these young players a chance to experience playing in front of a Beaver Stadium crowd in the Blue-White game that is scheduled for April 23rd. It obviously won’t be the 100,000 fan crowd that they will run out to in the fall, but it will still probably be the biggest crowd any of them have ever played in front of to that point in their careers.

Each of these players brings something different to the table, and they will be expected to make on-field impacts at different points of their careers.

Some, like Nicholas Singleton, will be expected to make a difference right away, while others, such as Omari Evans, might be expected to do so in another year or two.

Regardless of which is the case, each one will greatly benefit from their decision to enroll early, and the team will as well.

This is how each early enrollee for Penn State Football can benefit from being on campus for the spring semester

Penn State Football quarterback – Drew Allar

Perhaps the guy with the most weight on his shoulders from the class of 2022 is Drew Allar, so getting off to a good start is key for the former 5-star quarterback.

The quarterback position, along with the offensive line, is almost certainly the position that has the hardest transition from high school to college. So, it’s great that Allar, along with his fellow quarterback in the class, Beau Pribula, were able to get on campus for the spring semester.

Having nearly a half-a-year head start on his development under Mike Yurcich will be vital. Everything from physical improvements, such as footwork and mechanics, to mental development, such as making reads against more complex defensive looks and learning Penn State’s offensive playbook, can be made during the winter and spring months.

Additionally, Allar can learn from some of his more seasoned peers (Sean Clifford and Christian Veilleux), during this time.

Another thing that the freshman quarterback can gain from his early enrollment is he will have an opportunity to gel and begin to build relationships, both on and off the field, with his pass-catchers. Whether it be the wide receivers, tight ends, or even running backs, Allar building chemistry with his teammates will be key.

Getting comfortable with one another, especially on timing routes, is important so that everyone is on the same page come gameday.

Throughout all of this, Allar will have the chance to begin to prove to the coaching staff that he, if the ratings are correct, deserves to be strongly considered for the starting quarterback position.

Even if he does not win the job outright coming out of fall camp, he has the chance over these next 9 months to prove that the starter should be on a short leash in front of him.

Ultimately, the team deserves to have some clarity atop the quarterback depth chart once fall camp begins in late July. This does not mean that a starter needs to be named by that point, but things should begin to come into focus based on who is taking the most reps with the first team.

The team deserves to have the best quarterback (both physically and mentally), take the field each Saturday. Seemingly most people would like to see Allar be the number one guy in 2022, and his early enrollment will give him the best possible chance to prove to his teammates and the coaching staff that he can be that guy.