Drew Allar's decision to return to Penn State in 2025 ended in a broken ankle and cost him millions as he's fallen far out of the first round in this draft. But he doesn't regret a thing. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
It could have been Drew Allar taking first-team reps in Browns training camp last summer. There wouldn’t have been a Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders on hand to split reps.
It was going to be Allar. He was going to be the franchise’s next great quarterback hope. The Browns were giving off those vibes inside scouting circles, according to a source at the NFL Combine. This was during the 2024 college scouting season, as Allar was winding down a formidable third season at Penn State and rising as a high, first-round draft prospect.
Very early in the draft process, the Browns were honing in on the big-armed Allar as their own season was capsizing into a 3-14 catastrophe.
For a kid from Medina who grew up wearing Charlie Frye’s jersey to grade school all the time, who attended Browns home games for 10 straight years, who named his black labrador after Ozzie Newsome, the dream was maybe four months from happening. He may not even have realized it.
Then came that Allar social media post on December 16, 2024:
“This season has been the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life playing football and I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished as a team. I know there’s still more work to do which is why I look forward to making more memories with my teammates this year and beyond. But right now we are solely focused on the opportunity we have as a team in front of us.”
Allar postponed his NFL dream to play one more season in 2025. He wanted to lead Penn State to the CFP national championship.
And then fate sacked him harder than a host of Ohio State pass rushers.
Allar suffered a broken left ankle in Penn State’s sixth game in October of 2025 against Northwestern. He had season-ending surgery four days later. On Saturday, his comeback begins on the floor of Lucas Oil Stadium when he throws in front of NFL scouts and coaches for the first time in 19 weeks.
No regrets
“There were a lot of things I wanted to accomplish at Penn State,” Allar said at a Combine media room podium on Friday. “First and foremost, that was winning the Big Ten championship and national championship. Obviously, we fell short of those. But that was the main reason [to return] after my junior year.
“I decided to go back, and honestly, just to get more development and experience. I think experience is one of the quarterback’s best friends. The more pictures you can see throughout your college career I feel better prepares you for the NFL.”
The way things worked out, would he do it again?
“I think I would have,” Allar said. “Obviously, it’s not what I envisioned. I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. I’ve just taken this opportunity through this injury to better myself, both as a person, a teammate, and as a player. So, I wouldn’t change a thing. I know everything’s gonna work out for the best in the long run.”
Allar had a seven-figure NIL contract to serve as a security blanket, but he swears he would’ve returned to Penn State without it.
“My decision was not a financial decision,” he said. “It was a strictly football and personal decision to return to school, obviously to further my football career, but also to graduate. I'm proud to be a Penn State graduate. I graduated this past fall, so I’m really excited about that.”
The comeback
Allar’s prototypical size (6-5 and 238 pounds before Saturday’s official measurements) and an arm he touts as the best in the draft – “I'm not saying that out of cockiness or anything like that. It's just something I truly believe in.” – will get him through the door of an NFL team.
But the injury has cost him millions, no doubt. Draft analysts see him going no higher than the fourth round. He will only showcase his arm here, and doesn’t expect to run even at his pro day.
Allar is optimistic, however, because he has been gearing up for this comeback since recovering from the ankle surgery on October 15.
“It’s the first injury I’ve really ever had to deal with and [there was] a substantial amount of rehab,” Allar said. “But I took it as an opportunity to grow and learn and better myself, whether that was physically with my ankle or just flexibility- wise, and working on all aspects of myself as a person and an athlete. I’ve had a lot of good people between PT [physical therapy] and athletic trainers. And you know, just coaches in general helped me throughout the process. So it’s been a fun one.”
Allar wasn’t the finished product at the end of 2024. He knew that and it was one reason he returned to Penn State. He was a late starter to the QB position, not playing it until his freshman year at Medina; he thought he’d be a tight end. He took the position seriously once he became a varsity starter in the second half of his sophomore year. By the end of his senior season, he was Ohio’s Mr. Football and certified as a five-star college prospect.
He finished his career at Penn State with a record of 26-9 as a starter, throwing for 7,402 yards with 61 touchdowns vs. 13 interceptions.
Now he has to prove himself all over again.
Allar said he met with the Browns in one of those snappy, informal interviews. It included new Browns QB coach Mike Bajakian, who tried to recruit Allar while offensive coordinator under coach Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern. He said it would be “surreal” to play for the Browns, but he would be happy with any NFL opportunity.
Growing up a Browns fan doesn’t assure Allar of a spot in their draft plans, of course. But it sure makes you want to root for him, wherever he lands.