Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Aug 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar (16) throws against the Green Bay Packers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium.
Football fans across the country are asking serious questions of Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin following the impressive preseason debut of Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Drew Allar.
Allar entered the 2025 college football season as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country and a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
By the time Allar’s name was finally called, it was with the 76th overall pick in the third round of the draft. His college career under Franklin at Penn State was a mixed bag, featuring remarkable throws that demonstrated his special arm talent, as well as horrific footwork and baffling decisions that made you wonder what he was possibly thinking.
But the physical talent was never in doubt, and he showed exactly why some still believe he could be a star in the NFL on Thursday night.
Drew Allar Opens Eyes In NFL Preseason Debut
After longtime backup quarterback Mason Rudolph and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard played the first handful of possessions for Pittsburgh against the Green Bay Packers, Allar finally got his time to shine in the second half, and he didn’t let it slip.
The 6-foot-5, 228-pound gunslinger led the Steelers on three touchdown drives, completing 10-of-13 passes for 158 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown in the process.
Along the way, he showed off the type of accuracy that had long been missing from his game.
Drew Allar SHINES in His Steelers Preseason Debut vs. Green Bay 🔥
10/13, 153 PYDS, 2 PTD, 1 Rushing TD pic.twitter.com/j3Zmx8dsUV
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) August 14, 2026
While a preseason game against mostly third-team defenders doesn’t necessarily mean Allar will become a star, the performance had plenty of people on social media wondering why Franklin and quarterback coach Danny O’Brien couldn’t sort Allar’s mechanics out in college.
“James Franklin, you will pay for what you did,” All 32 creator Brett Kollman wrote.
“Allar’s mechanics are day and night from his time at Penn State. James Franklin is a terrorist,” wrote fan @Chrisburgh.
Penn State fans, in particular, expressed their frustration.
“Notice how much more freely he speaks now that he’s not at PSU,” one fan said of Allar’s postgame press conference. “Way less robotic. It’s pretty obvious that James Franklin instilled a– clenching into every aspect of this kid.”
“James Franklin and Danny O’Brien failed Drew Allar so miserably,” said another. “Look what happens when he actually gets developed. Pretty sad he developed more in 3 months than in 4 years. He’s also playing with more confidence than ever at PSU. Franklin and O’Brien that’s on you”
Perhaps time will show that Allar’s faults are his own to bear, and that he can’t fix them. But in the interim, Franklin and his staff look pretty bad for how they handled the former five-star prospect.