PASADENA, Calif. — Weeks before Drew Allar squeezed a ball though a tight window in the back of the end zone to Harrison Wallace III, center Juice Scruggs stood on Penn State’s football practice field in disbelief.

Scruggs was standing alongside the rest of Penn State’s quarterbacks as Allar took the practice rep. He watched as the freshman quickly went through his progressions and made a similar throw to the one that caught everyone’s attention during the Nittany Lions’ 45-14 win at Indiana. The velocity, the precision, the manner in which the rosy-cheeked freshman made the play during practice left Scruggs floored.

Nice toss 🎯
Nice catch 👐@AllarDrew ➡️ @iam_trey_10

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 5, 2022

“I looked around after he did it and nobody was making a big deal about it,” Scruggs said. “I was like, was that not a good throw? Beau (Pribula) was like, ‘Yeah, that was a was pretty good throw.’ He got it. He made that play before the Indiana game and I was astounded.”

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Moments like that behind closed doors on the practice field this season quickly caught teammates’ attention. Allar, who met with reporters Saturday during Rose Bowl media day to field questions for the first time since enrolling at Penn State in January 2022, said this past year has been all about learning the process of what it takes to be a college quarterback. It’s been a crash course on quarterbacking, and so far the early results look quite promising.

Since enrolling, Allar said he has gained about 10 pounds and has done so by adding more muscle. He’s still working on tweaking his nutrition plan and has quickly adapted to being in a regimented strength and conditioning program. He’s also heard fans clamoring for him, whether it’s to play more or to pose for pictures. He has released a children’s book as part of an NIL deal and now drives a Tesla, part of a different NIL agreement.

“It’s definitely surreal just people coming up to me and asking me for pictures and stuff,” Allar said. “I would say that’s the craziest part. I’m still getting adjusted to that.”

Above all else, Allar sounded happy that he was able to gain valuable reps this season and credited Sean Clifford with helping him learn how to prepare. It’s been a whirlwind year for the quarterback whose every move this season has been discussed and dissected. Clifford is slated to start the final game of his collegiate career on Monday in the Rose Bowl, and then all eyes will remain fixed on the five-star prospect whose development will dictate just how far this program goes in the next two or three years.

“Little things that used to take three seconds at the line of scrimmage now are there like that (snaps fingers),” offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said. “It’s just a whole process mentally, from run checks to RPOs to protections, progressions, all of that stuff. It’s not just one thing, I think, it’s just been an overall developmental improvement.”

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Freshman wide receiver Kaden Saunders, a fellow Ohio native, roomed with Allar this year. Saunders said he saw firsthand the attention to detail and effort Allar put forth outside of the building as he became Clifford’s backup. Allar said enrolling last January helped, as he worked through spring ball and by August — around the same time he overtook Christian Veilleux and became the No. 2 quarterback — had turned a corner with his development.

“I would just say probably protections,” Allar said of his biggest improvement this season. “I feel like most high schools typically you’re not too in depth with protections and you don’t see that many different defenses. Going against our defense every day in spring ball and in the summer really helped me grow just because they present so many different fronts and coverages. You really had to test yourself with the protections.”

Allar knows once the bowl game ends his role on this team will change. He knows he’ll have to lead more vocally as he becomes the starter. Classmate Beau Pribula impressed the staff this season as well, and although Yurcich’s quarterback room will be young (the group will also include signee Jaxon Smolik, who enrolls in January), there’s already belief and excitement about what this offense can do if Allar continues to make the kinds of throws his teammates have noticed for months.

“I’m just glad I was able to have the opportunities this year,” Allar said. “I mean, obviously Sean was the main reason why I got in just because he was doing his job on the field, getting us a big lead. … I’m definitely glad I had all those experiences, and I just took every opportunity I got and tried to just do the best I can with it.”

2. Nicholas Singleton has long been a man of few words, and Keyvone Lee quickly realized he had to lighten the mood if he was going to get Kaytron Allen to break out of his shell.

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“I’m a playful, open type of guy, so I went at him the first time like you gotta open up. You can’t be Mr. Tough Guy,” Lee said. “It’s gonna be a long year and we’re gonna go through it, but we’re gonna be laughing and we’re gonna have some fun.”

Lee has succeeded, taking the freshmen under his wing.

On the field, Singleton and Allen quickly proved they belonged: Singleton became the Big Ten’s freshman of the year, while Allen’s vision and patience as a runner helped him become an integral part of the offense.

“We play off of each other,” Singleton said. “Keyvone and Devyn (Ford), they’ve been a big help. They helped me with the plays, watched some more film, they’ve been a good help.”

Allen said the attention he’s gotten from fans this season has “kind of been weird.” He likes to keep to himself but noted watching Singleton garner the same level of attention and navigating it together was helpful. Both backs said they’re happy with their roles and believe that the committee approach Penn State has used under position coach Ja’Juan Seider can be effective because both can stay fresh.

“I like being coached by Coach Seider because he can be him every day. He’s the same Coach Seider every day,” Allen said. “Learning from him, being coached by Coach Seider is great.”

3. Lee spent much of this season dealing with a nagging injury but said he does expect to play in the Rose Bowl. Lee worked to stay upbeat as he helped the two backs who ended up supplanting him, unable to do anything about it due to the injury. Behind the scenes, Lee was helping prepare Allen and Singleton. During home games, he was cheering them on from the sideline. The team was winning, but Lee, who started the season as the No. 1 back, could only watch as the injury lingered.

“It’s been a long ride. Up and down with my injuries. It’s been a long process, but I’m glad it’s back now and I’m glad I actually can suit up and go out there and perform,” Lee said.

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When Caziah Holmes and Ford departed during the season, it was a reminder that everyone was trying to carve out their role in a crowded backfield. Lee quickly became the veteran in the room and had to do a double-take once the group was suddenly down two backs.

With the success of both freshmen, is Lee committed to being back at Penn State next season in this loaded backfield?

“The only thing that stopped me was the injury, so I’m back now, so we’ll see how it goes and see what plays out,” he said.

When asked if he’s contemplating a transfer, the always jovial Lee chuckled.

“I’m just here and focused on the bowl game.”

4. Linebacker Abdul Carter’s dominant freshman season reminded many people of Micah Parsons’ first year in Happy Valley. Much has been made of Carter wearing No. 11 at Linebacker U, but he said he actually only ended up with the number because 22, the number he has worn since he was 8 years old, was unavailable. The No. 22 jersey, which once belonged to Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti, is retired at Penn State.

“I figured why not step into 11 and build my own legacy with this number,” Carter said.

Carter said he has reached out to LaVar Arrington and Parsons. He met Arrington and had a conversation with him ahead of the Ohio State game.

Carter’s speed has been on display this season as he has harassed opposing quarterbacks. He said he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash when he arrived at Penn State.

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5. It’s rare for a freshman defensive tackle to burn a redshirt. It’s also rare to see a freshman defensive tackle as physically put together as Zane Durant. The 276-pound tackle said he wants to get better playing against the run and wants to work more on his pass rush moves. Durant was among Penn State’s wave of January enrollees, and while it was a little unusual for the Nittany Lions to sign someone out of Lake Nona, Fla., Durant had built a relationship with defensive line coach John Scott Jr. when Scott was at South Carolina. Franklin then sealed the deal.

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“He won my mom over,” Durant said. “After that, that was it. … He said that he was going to take care of me and whatever I needed help with he was going to be there and was going to be in close contact with my mom, so she was fine with that.”

6. It’s still unclear whether or not left tackle Olu Fashanu will suit up for the Rose Bowl after getting injured in late October during the Ohio State game. Speaking Saturday in one of his few media appearances since announcing plans to return next season, Fashanu said getting his degree was part of the reason he’ll be back.

“With the team we have right now and the team that we’re going to have going into next year, I personally think that we have the potential to be even better than we were this year,” Fashanu said. “At the end of the day, I just wanted an opportunity to be a part of that too because I do think that we can be really special next year.”

7. Saunders, the freshman receiver, should have an opportunity to make an impact next season. The receiving corps is still looking to add two more scholarship players, either both through the transfer portal or one via the portal and one during the February signing period. Saunders said he made strides this season working with the developmental squad, getting reps against Penn State’s top cornerbacks.

“I had high expectations coming in, and I got humbled a little bit when I first got here,” Saunders said. “Just continuing to develop has been my main goal, and that’s what I’ve been doing throughout the whole season.”

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(Photo of Drew Allar: Rich Schultz / Getty Images)