Penn State QB, Ohio native Drew Allar staying focused ahead of homecoming at Ohio State

Drew Allar doesn’t know how many friends and family will be in attendance Saturday at Ohio State. He wisely delegated the responsibility of handling ticket requests to his parents.

“I’ve got to be focused on the game,” Allar said. “I can’t be focused on anything extra.”

You can bet there will be plenty of Allar fans in the stands at The Horseshoe. And you can bet his focus will be squarely on Ohio State — even though this game represents so much more for Penn State’s young quarterback.

Saturday will be a homecoming for Allar. He was raised in Medina, Ohio, a town two hours away from Columbus, littered with scarlet and gray flags lining front lawns and porches. Like so many in Medina, Allar grew up rooting for the Buckeyes and went to Ohio State games as a kid.

Allar acknowledged that when meeting with reporters on a Tuesday conference call. He was once part of Ohio State’s “passionate fan base,” one that generates “a challenging atmosphere” for opposing teams. Even though he has never played against the Buckeyes, Allar will know better than most what to expect when Penn State and Ohio State meet at noon Saturday.

He also knows that putting everything else aside — the tickets, the crowd, etc. — and preparing for the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes is the most important thing.

“At the end of the day, we have to approach it the same,” Allar said of the highly anticipated matchup. “We can’t approach it any differently. We can’t change our routine.”

He later added: “I never try to make things bigger than what they are or smaller than what they are. Just go out and deal with it, go out and play. I mean, I get to play football. It’s a lot of fun, and I don’t want to make it where it’s to the point where it’s not fun for me to go out and play. Don’t get me wrong, I’m gonna prepare like it’s my job. But I’m not going to not have fun going out and doing it. That’s where we’re at as a team right now. We have a lot of passion on this team, and we’re just looking forward to this opportunity this weekend.”

It’s an exciting game for so many reasons. This might be the most evenly matched Penn State and Ohio State have been in James Franklin’s 10-year tenure. Saturday has Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff implications for both teams with Michigan still ahead.

This kind of affair — one that will draw ESPN’s College GameDay, Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff and national attention to Columbus — is one college football fans look forward to watching. All eyes will be on players like Allar, who have to keep their poise and composure under pressure.

Allar reiterated he has to keep his attention on the game and the game alone. And his personal quarterbacks coach in Ohio has no concerns that he’ll do that.

Brad Maendler, owner of QB Excelerate, worked with Allar extensively during his time at Medina. The two worked hand-in-hand to grow Allar’s game and profile, helping him become the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2022 recruiting class.

Obviously, Allar’s talent has a lot to do with that. But Maendler expounded at length about his pupil’s mentality and noted that nothing — not the big-game atmosphere at Ohio State, not Allar’s former fandom, not playing two hours from his hometown — will get to him.

“Drew is honestly wired differently,” Maendler told PennLive. “He is truly about the process. Whether that game is against West Virginia or Ohio State, his level of preparation and focus is going to be where it needs to be in order for him to perform the way that we all want him to perform.

“I don’t think the Ohio State thing is going to enter in until after the game. If they win, obviously he’s really going to reflect on that. But he’s not the kind of kid that it’s going to be this huge experience. He’s going to treat it like another important game. And I’m not just saying that from a coach speak standpoint. That’s the way he’s wired.

“He doesn’t get too high or too low. Beneath that is some serious fire. That dude is fiery. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. That’s there. … But playing for a program like this, you might expect to see more shows of emotion, sometimes in a negative way if a play doesn’t go well. But you’ll very rarely see that with Drew. He’s got that ability to focus on the task at-hand.”

The task at-hand this week? Beat Ohio State.

And if Penn State pulls that off, Allar will be a big reason why.