Penn State's Drew Allar Breaks Silence on Virginia T...

By Michael Gallagher

Contributing Sports Writer

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As many expected, James Franklin wasn’t unemployed long after getting fired by Penn State in mid-October.

Franklin compiled a 104-45 record in 11-and-a-half seasons at Penn State, leading the Nittany Lions to five bowl wins, a Big Ten championship, and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

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But after a 3-3 start this season, one in which Penn State was considered a national championship contender during the preseason and ranked as high as No. 3 near the end of September, Franklin was fired — news that was even harder to process given his quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in the final game he coached.

Now that Franklin has landed a new job with Virginia Tech, Allar didn’t hesitate to make it known he’s rooting for his former coach with his new gig during a recent interview with On3’s Blue White Illustrated.

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Penn State QB Drew Allar and former head coach James Franklin

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“I have a great relationship with coach Franklin,” Allar said. “I probably talk to him every other day, really since we’ve both been done. I could now phrase it like that, but yeah, I’m very excited for him. He’s gonna do a great job at Virginia Tech. I think it’s a great spot for him, and I’m very excited to see how he does. Very happy for him and his family.”

Though he’s still in frequent contact with Franklin, Allar admitted now that he’s under contract with another school and turning his attention toward the recruiting trail, he will likely cheer on Franklin from afar.

“I was just texting with his wife yesterday, but I’m kind of trying to leave him alone right now since I know he has a pretty busy schedule with everything he has going on right now,” Allar added. “But it’s gonna be really fun to just keep in touch with him and follow his journey and just see how everything unfolds for him.”

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