Mike McCarthy is taking a very different approach to Drew Allar than James Franklin. The new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers effectively told his rookie quarterback to forget everything he learned during his four years at Penn State.
It might explain a lot about the Nittany Lions signal-callers who came before him.
Some of the most highly-touted quarterbacks in college football played under Franklin. They did not really pan out in the NFL. Now we know why! He apparently can’t develop a quarterback.
Mike McCarthy is starting over with Drew Allar.
At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Allar was rated as five-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2022. He was the top-ranked player at his position and the No. 3-ranked player overall.
There was a lot of hype about the Ohio-native, who chose Penn State over Ohio State. The Nittany Lions were going to win a national championship. James Franklin was finally going to win the big one.
That is not quite what happened.
Drew Allar went 23-6 during his first two seasons as the starter and made the College Football Playoff in year two but he struggled with consistency and never got over the hump. Year three was a bummer. Penn State started at 3-3. Allar missed the rest of the year with an injury.
Despite all of the hype coming into 2025, Allar dropped into the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He is a perfect prototype for an NFL quarterback but he needs some work before he is ready to be a star.
Enter Mike McCarthy. According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, the first-year head coach of the Steelers is tearing it all down to build back up from the foundation.
“They’re essentially uninstalling everything he has learned, and they’re re-uploading their own methods, fundamentals, and mechanics with Allar. I watched Mike McCarthy and QB coach Tom Arth be very intentional with Allar, who was running at about half speed, working on his footwork throughout that practice.”
He is the only quarterback at rookie minicamp. That is on purpose.
Pittsburgh specifically hopes to widen Allar’s base and keep him off of his toes in the pocket.
Drew Allar working here today at rookie minicamp pic.twitter.com/mC836veB1S
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) May 9, 2026
That, in theory, should give him more time to process and move faster against an NFL pass rush.
It’s a tough look for James Franklin.
Say what you will about James Franklin but Mike McCarthy’s approach to Drew Allar is a brutal reflection on his ability to develop a quarterback. A Super Bowl champion coach told his rookie quarterback to forget everything he learned while at Penn State.
And then you look at Franklin’s history with quarterbacks…
Christian Hackenberg is one of the biggest “busts” in NFL history. Even McSorley, who has carved out a decent career as an NFL backup, might’ve been a star with the right coaching.
It makes a lot more sense now that we know how McCarthy is working with Allar. He threw Franklin directly under the bus. He is effectively starting over. It is a total rebuild.