Drew Allar injury update: Penn State QB suffers massive blow after Nittany Lions' humiliating loss to Northwestern

Penn State suffered its most devastating blow of the 2025 college football season after senior quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending leg injury in the Nittany Lions' 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday.

Penn State coach James Franklin delivered the bad news in a postgame interview. He confirmed the first-choice quarterback will be out for the remainder of the season.

"Drew (Allar) will be done for the year," a despondent Franklin said. "The reason I turned and looked is I do not release that information until I clear with the kid and the family. I talked to Drew but I haven't heard back from the family before I came in here," he added.

Allar sustained the injury when he was trying to scramble on 3rd & 4 at the Nittany Lions' 31-yard line. The 6-foot-5 signal-caller was met by a group of Northwestern defenders as he went past the line of scrimmage.

Two Wildcats defenders took him down by tackling his legs to halt the play and Allar went down grabbing his left leg. He was carted to the locker room and underwent tests that went out positive.

Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkenmeyer was called from the bench to continue the play on fourth down but his attempt went futile. Northwestern's defensive line came prepared to stop him, reclaiming the possession and sealing the surprise win.

Drew Allar's passing yards dipping in last 3 games prior to the injury

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has not been securing the necessary big yardage for the Nittany Lions in the past three games before sustaining the season-ending leg injury.

The 6-foot-5 signal-caller has completed 46-of-71 passes for 474 yards in the three losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. This is a decline from the 59-of-88 completions and 626 yards he passed for in the first three wins against Nevada, FIU and Villanova.

Although he picked that up in rushing numbers with a three-game total of 145 yards in those defeats, keeping the ball for longer periods is a recipe for disaster for Penn State. It meant that their offensive plays on the air were highly telegraphed by their foes in the past three games.

Now it's up to backup QB Ethan Grunkenmeyer to restore Penn State's fading college football hopes beginning with its scheduled away game against Iowa on Oct. 18.