These Penn State football players who saved their starting spot for 2024

Well, Allar didn’t exactly save his starting spot by himself, Mike Yurcich did a lot to help. Yurcich was the scapegoat for the anemic offense, and I think the blame is fair. Now, it wasn’t likely that the former five-star would ever be at risk of not starting in 2024, but Beau Pribula managed to apply a decent amount of pressure when he played in a gadget quarterback role. 

Yurcich’s offense was unimaginative and relied heavily on wide receiver option routes where the young quarterback was asked to be in lockstep with his underwhelming cast of wideouts. Obviously, that was ineffective, but Allar played his best game of the year against Michigan State with Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle calling the plays. 

Against Ole Miss, Allar was not good. He finished 19/39 passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. As he predicted in the week leading up, his wide receivers were no match for the SEC cornerbacks on the other side. 

Still, the flashes of brilliance against Michigan State (17/26 for 292 yards and two touchdowns) and Maryland (25/34, 240 yards, four touchdowns) were enough for Allar to be firmly entrenched in the starting role. 

Some are calling for Allar’s job, but those people are blaming the quarterback for his lack of targets to throw to. As a sophomore, Allar was handed a complex offensive system with MAC-level wide receivers and was asked to beat Ohio State and Michigan with it. With J.J. McCarthy off to the NFL, Drew Allar is the second-best quarterback in the Big Ten heading into 2024, only behind Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. 

Andy Kotelnicki will unlock all of Allar’s talent and Penn State will have a top 20 offense in the country next season.