Terry Smith fashions himself as a truth-teller, and after Drew Allar was selected by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers with the 76th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday night, Smith let his feelings about the former five-star quarterback’s lack of development be known.
The biggest case for Allar to have more success in the NFL than he did over his 2.5 seasons and 35 starts for the Nittany Lions is that James Franklin and his staff stunted Allar’s growth. Now working as the highest-paid non-coordinator assistant in college football under Matt Campbell, Smith seems to agree with that sentiment.
“I’ve been known as the truth-teller here at Penn State,” Smith told Joe Starkey and Bob Pompeani on an appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Monday, “I think unfairly to Drew, our system wasn’t built for him. It wasn’t made for him. Some of the decisions were taken out of his control.”
“I think unfairly to Drew, our system wasn’t built for him” Penn State Coach Terry Smith on Allar. @kdpomp @joestarkey1 @austinrbechtold pic.twitter.com/oAqtnQ8gP5
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) April 27, 2026
Terry Smith agrees that Penn State set Drew Allar up to fail
Amidst a shaky first season with Allar as the program’s starting QB, Franklin moved on from offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, ultimately hiring Andy Kotelnicki as his replacement. Kotelnicki arrived from Kansas with a deep bag of unconventional formations, pre-snap motions, and a system that allowed Allar to take a major step forward, but one that still left fans clammoring for the more mobile Beau Pribula.
Kotelnicki, under Lance Leipold, typically worked with dual-threat quarterbacks, and though Allar isn’t a complete statue, he’s a prototypical pocket-passer with a 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame. Though he improved from his sophomore to junior year under Kotelnicki, leading Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinal, Allar failed to progress in 2025, when many expected him to cement his place as a first-round pick in the 2026 draft.
Inconsistent accuracy, sloppy footwork, and questionable decision-making are certainly to blame, but Smith is willing to blame his former co-workers for forcing a square peg into a round hole. While it doesn’t guarantee that Allar will finally live up to his potential in the league, Smith’s admission should have Penn State fans feeling as good as ever about the program’s transition from Franklin to Campbell.
Not fitting your OC hire around your 5-star QB is inexcusable
Even when Allar was playing well, Kotelnicki routinely spelled him with Pribula for a package of gadget plays that featured the quarterback’s rushing ability, and a package for tight end Tyler Warren as a wildcat QB. That’s how integral a rushing quarterback is to Kotelnicki’s system, so hiring him when your goal is to maximize Allar looks like a terrible mistake in hindsight.
After years of knocking on the door of national title contention with Trace McSorley and Sean Clifford, Allar was supposed to be the one to finally bust it down. Failing to maximize that three-year window cost Franklin his job. Now, it’s giving NFL evaluators hope that Allar can be fixed with better coaching in the league.
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