Penn State Takes Big Shot From Beat Writer As Steelers' Drew Allar Has To Be Torn Down And Built Back Up

The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised many when the decision was made to select quarterback Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The coaching staff and front office had been very complimentary of Will Howard leading up to the event, but he was just a sixth-round pick. If there was full belief that he could potentially be the future at the position for the franchise, then the Penn State product likely wouldn't have been taken on Day 2 at the end of April. It has led to plenty of discussion and speculation about what the team's long-term vision is at the most important position in the game.

Allar was once looked at as being a potential first-round prospect, but his final year with the Nittany Lions did not exactly go as planned. He broke his ankle in October, which ended his collegiate career. Prior to the 2025 campaign, he received plenty of criticism for not playing well enough in big games. That was always a concern for fans when rumors spread that the Steelers were interested in the signal-caller.

This was brought up on Tuesday when Ray Fittipaldo hosted a chat for individuals to come in and ask questions about the organization. One fan chimed in and blamed several other factors for Allar's inability to rise to the occasion in specific moments. The majority of the focus was on former head coach James Franklin.

"I'm tired of [the] Drew Allar big game narrative when the Penn State team as a whole laid an egg in big games, starting with coach. And PSU QBs pre-dating Allar underperformed -- it is the main reason Franklin is gone," the fan noted. "Don't you think we just see what a good coaching staff can do?"

The beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette didn't hold back when bailing Allar out. He agreed and even admitted that the coaching staff in Pittsburgh is possibly working to tear Allar apart in an effort to build him back up to be better than he was before.

"I'm willing to do that, but I also acknowledge they're tearing him down to build him back up because he didn't exactly have great coaching during his time at PSU," Fittipaldo answered.

It is a fair assessment to note that none of Penn State's quarterbacks in recent years have performed well on the biggest of stages. Head Coach Mike McCarthy is now being tasked with completely changing how Allar plays the position. There should be no rush to develop Allar, specifically because the Steelers do not have any intention on him starting football games in 2026.

Allar has some incredible arm strength, so working with him to fine-tune everything else is something that McCarthy is surely focused on. One thing that is hard to teach, however, is being cool, calm, and collected in big moments. As Allar improves his skills and trusts himself more, he will have to then allow that to translate when and if he does end up starting at the professional level.

There is a lot that still needs to be decided when it comes to Allar. Taking a quarterback in round three isn't done by a franchise that has the sole goal of him being a career backup, especially a team like Pittsburgh that has no future answer for the position. If coaching was truly the issue at Penn State as Fittipaldo suggested, then Allar could be in for a very long and successful NFL career with McCarthy showing him the ropes.

Steelers Hoping Either Howard Or Allar Turns Out To Be A Star

Pittsburgh has two young signal-callers on the roster that seem to be committed to getting better. Howard received second-team reps on the first day of OTAs, so he currently has the advantage when it comes to being the backup in 2026. However, as time goes on and Allar is built back up, the Steelers may feel as if he deserves the chance to lead the offense moving forward.

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