Drew Allar says his season-ending injury and the firing of James Franklin ‘still doesn’t feel real’

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Drew Allar said Thursday that he underwent successful surgery to repair his fractured left ankle. He said his rehab is “off to a really good start.”

The 6-foot-5 quarterback finished his Penn State career with the program’s highest completion percentage. He led the Nittany Lions to the brink of a national title game berth last season, a performance many draft experts tabbed worthy of making him a first-round pick had he declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.

But Allar felt he had unfinished business in Happy Valley. After a heartbreaking end to a successful junior campaign, one that ended with Allar tossing a game-sealing interception to seal Penn State’s 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, he returned to State College for his senior campaign.

His season did not go as planned. After a sporadic first five games, Allar suffered a season-ending ankle fracture in Penn State’s Oct. 11 loss to Northwestern, a result immediately followed by James Franklin’s firing.

In 24 hours, not only did Allar’s college career end, but the head coach who recruited him and grew close to him over the last four years lost his job.

“That was one of the worst weekends of my life,” Allar said. “I just stuck to my circle between my teammates here at Penn State and my family back home. … It still doesn’t feel real to some extent.”

Allar took accountability for Penn State’s 3-3 start. He said the team wouldn’t have lost three games in a row if he had made more plays, specifically citing the game-sealing interception he threw in the Nittany Lions’ 30-24 loss to Oregon.

» READ MORE: Penn State still has a shot at a bowl, and Terry Smith says his players are ‘dialed in’

The Ohio native, who has stayed with the team throughout his rehab process, has been present at practice and traveled with the Nittany Lions to road games against Iowa, No. 1 Ohio State, and Michigan State.

Interim head coach Terry Smith said Allar is “in every meeting” and has served as a tremendous help to Ethan Grunkemeyer, Penn State’s redshirt freshman QB who replaced Allar under center. And while Allar’s presence has aided teammates and coaches, he said being around his teammates has helped him the most.

“Selfishly, I felt like I needed to be around the team for my own sake,” Allar said. “I didn’t want to leave the guys or the coaches because I knew what kind of situation we were in … And for me personally as a captain, I felt like it was an obligation for me to be there for the guys.”

While Allar has remained around the program, his former head coach has moved on. Franklin was introduced as the head coach at Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

Allar said he has talked to Franklin “about every other day” since his injury and congratulated him on his new gig. The duo earned consecutive 10-win seasons in Happy Valley, the kind of success that Allar believes awaits his former head coach with the Hokies.

“[Franklin is] going to do a great job at Virginia Tech. It is a great spot for him,” Allar said. “I’m very excited to see what he does. I’m very happy for him and his family. They’ve done a great amount for me and my teammates.”

» READ MORE: James Franklin vows to pour his ‘heart and soul’ into new job as Virginia Tech’s coach

Allar has played more than four games in each of his four collegiate seasons, which means he is out of college eligibility. With the Reese’s Senior Bowl scheduled for Jan. 31 and the NFL Combine beginning on Feb. 27, Allar’s next steps are near.

But during Thursday’s media session, he did not directly answer questions regarding his participation in any of the major pre-draft evaluation events.

“I’m not really going to get into all the timeline stuff,” Allar said. “There are a lot of things that have to go in a certain way.”