Penn State football needed a miracle drive in the final minutes against Northwestern, trailing 22-21 after the Wildcats grabbed a fourth-quarter lead. Then everything changed when quarterback Drew Allar went down clutching his lower left leg with just under four minutes remaining.
The hit forced Allar out of the game, and the Nittany Lions ultimately fell 22-21 in Week 7. Moments later, Allar was carted off the field while Penn State’s medical staff worked quickly to assess the damage.
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The news that followed crushed any hope for a quick recovery. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 21-year-old quarterback will not return this season. Head coach James Franklin declined to specify the exact nature of the leg injury but confirmed that Allar’s 2025-26 campaign is officially over.
Penn State QB Drew Allar is now out for the season, per HC James Franklin.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 11, 2025
The sequence leading to the injury started innocently enough. Allar had just completed a nine-yard pass to running back Nicholas Singleton up the middle, setting up a third-and-four situation.
On the next play, he scrambled for the first down but was stopped after gaining just one yard. What followed silenced the entire Penn State sideline.
Allar stayed down after the tackle. Franklin and the medical staff rushed over immediately. Though he eventually stood up, tears filled his eyes as he limped off the field. He never returned for the game’s final minutes.
Draft analyst Thor Nystrom noted that Drew Allar had first-round potential heading into last spring. Now, that outlook has shifted. Unless he secures a medical redshirt, Allar could find himself sliding deep into the draft, likely as a late-Day 3 flyer come April.
It’s a sharp turn for a quarterback once projected among the elite.
Drew Allar would have been a first-round pick last spring.
He’ll be a late-Day 3 dart throw in April if he doesn’t apply for and win a medical redshirt. https://t.co/b5jNn1hc42
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) October 11, 2025
Freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer was thrown into action on fourth-and-three, cold off the bench. Instead of punting, Penn State gambled and kept the offense on the field. Grunkemeyer tried running up the middle, but Northwestern’s defense stuffed the play, forcing a turnover on downs.
Allar ends his season with 1,100 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 64.7% of his passes. Moving forward, the Nittany Lions are expected to turn to Grunkemeyer at quarterback, though Jaxon Smolik could see time as well.
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