Drew Allar, Mike McCarthy are the perfect match for Steelers
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Sometimes for things to succeed you need to be a match made in Heaven. Fit matters. Personality matters. It just makes sense.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, Drew Allar and Mike McCarthy may very well be that match in which the light shines upon.
While many fans and media alike have doubted the Steelers’ third-round pick, and the head coach tasked with turning him into an NFL-quality quarterback, the duo could up being one that silences those doubters.
The Steelers selected tackle Max Iheanachor and wide receiver Germie Bernard in the first two rounds before taking Allar, a 6-foot-5 quarterback from Penn State whose tools have his biggest believers saying he could be special if paired with the right head coach.
A preseason Heisman candidate for the Nittany Lions and projected first-round pick, Allar completed 65% of his passes for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions in six games. He missed the second half of the season due to a season-ending ankle injury.
A three-year starter, Allar concluded his Penn State career with 7,402 passing yards, 61 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 45 games, and he began his career with 311 pass attempts without an interception, the most in FBS history. He also brings a resume that leaves some to be desired, leading Penn State to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024 and was minutes away from going to the National Championship.
With less than a minute left, Allar threw a costly interception against Notre Dame. The Irish set up for a game-winning field goal. Allar and Penn State’s dreams were over. Plays like that, as well as his combined 0-5 record against Ohio State and Michigan, are why he slid to the third round. However, a lot of those struggles can be tied back to coaching and the offensive system Penn State ran.
Even before Allar became the starter at Penn State, former head coach James Franklin had severe problems when it came to winning big games, finishing his Penn State career 4-21 against Top 10 teams and 4-17 against Ohio State and Michigan. It was also rare to see Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki allow Allar to take shots downfield unless they were trailing.
It seemed evident to many that the Nittany Lions played too conservative, never letting their gifted passer do what he does best, which is sling the ball downfield. And it’s not just myself or other Allar truthers saying that. Penn State associate head coach Terry Smith said as much in an appearance on 93.7 The Fan.
“I’ve been known as like ‘the truth teller’ here at Penn State,” Smith said. “I think unfairly for Drew, our system wasn’t built for him. It wasn’t made for him. Some of the decisions were taken out of his control.”
Kotelnicki ran an RPO offense in his two years at Penn State. He often called designed runs and rollouts to get his quarterbacks on the move. It’s a system that would have worked great for Beau Pribula, who transferred to Missouri during the playoff run, but not Allar.
Penn State tried to put a square peg into a round hole. The OC tried to make Allar something that he wasn’t.
Allar didn’t run at the NFL Combine or Penn State’s Pro Day, and he doesn’t have speed like Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, or others who are constantly on the move.
“That’s not him,” Smith said.
No, it’s not. You’d think the program would cater to their five-star quarterback’s big arm, pocket presence, and ability to read defenses. Penn State never adjusted, until it was too late in big games and too late for the coaching staff.
“He’s a guy that can make every throw, he’s super smart, he’s a fast learner [who] picks things up very quickly,” Smith said.
A Gateway native, Smith served as interim head coach for the final seven games and won four in a row, including the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson.
He was asked why Penn State didn’t let Allar loose and let the gunslinger put the Nittany Lions on his back.
“That’s a question I can’t answer, I wasn’t the head coach at that point.”
Smith never directly coached a game with Allar as quarterback after taking over following the injury.
A pocket passer asked to run constantly and not utilize his arm to help the team. It’s part of the reason why the No. 2 team in the country entering 2025 failed to win a conference game until November 15. Not everything can be blamed on coaching and the personnel – Allar holds responsibility for costly interceptions. He threw game-sealing interceptions against Notre Dame and Oregon. A career 63.2% passer, Allar missed layups and checkdowns that should be routine passes.
Enter Mike McCarthy. The man who largely got the Steelers’ head coaching job because of his ability to develop quarterbacks. Well, this is the perfect opportunity to prove he can do just that. He guided the development of Aaron Brooks in New Orleans 25 years ago, helped Aaron Rodgers fix his throwing motion, and guided Dak Prescott to three consecutive 12-win seasons. And while Rodgers is an all-time talent, and Prescott was already a 30-touchdown thrower, McCarthy was a major part of that development with Rodgers, and helped Prescott reach levels of play he hadn’t reached before.
McCarthy’s resume with young quarterbacks isn’t long, but if he truly is an offensive wizard the Steelers claim him to be, he’s the perfect match with Drew Allar.
McCarthy runs an offense with a west coast foundation, but isn’t afraid to be aggressive downfield. Based on his offenses in Green Bay and Dallas, McCarthy fits the characteristics of Allar’s strengths. McCarthy also preached the importance of having a big, strong, tough, physical ‘AFC North’ quarterback to compete against the division in cold weather. With a 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame with 9 ⅞ inch hands and 32 ¾ arms, Allar is built in McCarthy’s ideal QB lab.
In many ways, Allar was a victim of the coaching and wide receiver failures. A Penn State wide receiver didn’t record a catch in the Orange Bowl. Penn State didn’t recruit talented enough wide receivers for Allar to work with. Keandre Lambert-Smith, who played with Allar in 2023 before transferring to Auburn, was a 5th round pick in 2025. Allar’s five other primary receivers (Harrison Wallace, Omari Evans, Devonte Ross, Trebor Peña, Kyron Hudson) all went undrafted.
Allar guided Penn State to two playoff wins in 2024 appearances in the Peach Bowl and Orange Bowl, and a Fiesta Bowl championship.
He’s had success, but needs significant development to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. Allar checks every box. McCarthy is regarded as a coach able to get the best out of QBs. Let the new “big game” tests for Allar begin in Pittsburgh.
“In the best scenario, you want a guy like Aaron Rodgers to come back and teach a guy like this how to be a pros pro, much like Aaron Rodgers learned from Brett Favre,” Smith said. “I think Drew has all the physical attributes and mental makeup to really be a good pro.”
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