Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) warms up before the Peach Bowl NCAA college football game against Mississippi, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Looking at the statistics from his 2023 season, PSU quarterback Drew Allar had as good of a year as most programs could only dream of for a first-year starter.

As a true sophomore, Allar threw 25 touchdowns and threw just two interceptions. His first pick didn’t happen until the eighth game of the season against Indiana.

The problem was the offense that was on display most of the season largely disappeared against the top two Big Ten opponents in Michigan and Ohio State, which ultimately cost offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich his job.

Now going into his second year as the leader of the offense, Allar is learning under his second offensive coordinator in Andy Kotelnicki.

“It’s not only me and the quarterbacks that feel comfortable with everything,” Allar said. “It’s really all the skill positions with the different pass schemes. Everybody is learning the concepts, and it’s not just one part of the concept. It’s the full concept.”

It was obvious throughout last season that taking care of the football was priority No. 1 for Allar. He rarely took shots downfield, and completions were usually on short throws. But it was enough to have coach James Franklin’s approval after the 10-3 season.

“You look at his touchdown to interception ratio, I think it’s as good as anywhere in the country,” Franklin said at the start of spring practice last month. “I don’t know if it necessarily felt that way. If you are evaluating a quarterback, maybe one of the top three or four statistics you study is touchdown to interception ratio, and he did a great job there.”

A lot of the gripe over the offense last year fell in the wide receivers’ room, and Franklin insisted there was no shortage of talent in the unit. Julian Fleming has transferred in from Ohio State to help the group, and Allar has a locker right across from Fleming.

“Me and Julian have a really good relationship,” Allar said. “I think he brings a certain toughness to that room where he’s going to just go out and do his job. Julian is a very pro-like guy. I love being around him.”

Allar also said Fleming has shown an interest in taking pride in his blocking downfield in the run game just as much as his efforts in the passing game. He also pointed out Malik McClain and Malick Meiga as receivers that have done well in run blocking.

“Obviously receivers want to catch the ball in space, and make catches downfield, but we always talk about how we have to earn the right to throw the ball downfield as an offense. That starts with blocking,” Allar said. “Those three guys have really rubbed off on the rest of the room. You can see a lot more explosive plays happening for us just because there’s extra space on the perimeter.”

Allar, who said he weighs between 240 and 243 pounds currently, has also focused on getting leaner over the offseason. He was listed at 242 pounds on last year’s roster, but probably weighed a little more than that. He said he wants to lose a little more weight before the start of fall training camp.

“That’s the one area off the field I wanted to improve on,” Allar said. “My goal is to lose a little more before fall camp. I’m eliminating things I shouldn’t always be eating.”

“He’s had a great offseason,” Franklin said. “He’s moving better. He looks better. He looks leaner.

“I think for him, and for all of us, it’s consistency. Doing it week-in-and-week-out against all competition and being able to play the way we need him to play. I think he’s ready to take the next step.”