Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is getting his shot at the NFL, at long last. Allar was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 12th pick of the third round (76th overall) of the 2026 NFL draft on Friday evening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Allar, from Medina, Ohio, was a five-star recruit in Penn State's Class of 2022. Allarv was ranked as the nation's top quarterback and the top player overall in the state of Ohio according to 247Sports. He was the nation's No. 3 overall player. That brought high hopes for the Penn State offense once he took over following the departure of Sean Clifford.
Clifford was the last quarterback from Penn State to be drafted when he was a fifth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2023. Penn State has only had two other quarterbacks chosen in the first three rounds of the NFL draft since joining the Big Ten in 1993. Kerry Collins was the fifth overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft, and Christian Hackenberg was the 20th pick of the 2nd round in the 2016 NFL draft. Other draft picks in the Big Ten era from Penn State include Trace McSorley (6th Round, 2019) and Wally Richardson (7th Round, 1997).
Allar completed his college career with 7,402 passing yards and 61 touchdowns. He started every game of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including appearances in the Big Ten championship game and three College Football Playoff games during the 2024 season. Allar's 2025 season was cut short due to a season-ending ankle injury midway through the season. Allar's record as a starter was 26-9, but Allar often also took some heat for some poor offensive outings against the top teams on Penn State's schedule.
Despite the negativity in losses, Allar rose to the occasion for some memorable moments during his college career. Now, he looks to prove himself at the next level.
Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Steelers draft Penn State QB Drew Allar in 3rd round of 2026 NFL draft