“So,” I asked dapper strength coach Chuck Losey at Penn State’s winter-workout-ending Max Out Day on Thursday, “how has Drew’s winter been?”
Drew is, of course, Nittany Lion quarterback Drew Allar, now heading into his third season at Penn State and his second as a starter. Allar is still, as ESPN.com recently pointed out, a bit of an enigma.
Thursday afternoon, whether walking the Lasch Building floor or huffing and puffing at the weight rack, Allar looked bigger than his listed 6-foot-5 and 241 pounds. Much bigger.
And the answer to my question?
“Very, very good,” smiled Losey, his grin so big and wide that it was even visible from beneath his luxurious mustache. “Drew is as consistent as can be…I’m really happy with Drew.”
This was the final weight workout of the winter for Penn State football, before the players and coaches scatter for spring break and regroup 10 days hence to begin training in earnest for the 2024 season.
Here are 10 takeaways from the session, open to the media and a host of donors as well.
1. ALLAR IS NO LONGER RAW. Losey had more praise for Allar and his QB mates Beau Pribula and Jaxon Smolik.
“All three of those quarterbacks — Drew, Beau, Jax — I know exactly what those guys are going to be like when they hit the weight room every day,” Losey said. “Drew’s been great. You talk about guys being raw when they first get on campus. I said the same thing about that when he got here two years ago: He was super-raw. But, you saw it in here today. He holds his own with everything.”
2. NO END TO CARTER’S POSSIBILITIES AT D-END. Abdul Carter may have been first-team All-Big Ten as a linebacker in 2023, but heading into 2024 he’s now a defensive end. He’s 6-3 and 250 pounds. And still growing — organically.
“There’s no process, no plan,” Losey said of Carter, who in two seasons has 104 tackles, with 16 TFLs and 11 sacks. “Abdul’s a physically gifted kid whose body can pretty much go in any direction we want it to. So for me to stand here and say, ‘Well, we’ve got this plan to put 20 pounds on or this or that’ — no. He’s still a young guy. He’s only going to be in his third year. His frame is still filling out. He’s just naturally growing into that position.”
3. KEYSTONE TRIO IS THE TEAM’S CORNERSTONE. Losey singled out three Pennsylvania products for their leadership during winter workouts. It is somewhat of an unlikely group. Linebacker Dom DeLuca, a returning captain, originally was a walk-on. Center Nick Dawkins is in his fifth season and will finally start. Wide receiver Julian Fleming is a transfer from Ohio State, where he played four seasons.
“From a leadership standpoint, a couple of guys who have put their best foot forward and really stood out in the football team,” Losey noted, “are Dom DeLuca, Nick Dawkins and, for a guy who is new to this program, Julian Fleming. He came in as an older transfer. He’s put his head down. He’s worked. He’s done everything the right way, which is what you want out of a transfer.”
4. MORE ABOUT FLEMING (BUT NOT FROM HIM). Losey had more good things to say about Fleming: “It comes down to having awareness and maturity. He’s very aware. He’s a very mature young man who came in, and his actions have told his story. He hasn’t said much nor have I asked him to say much. He’s just put his head down and worked. He’s earned the respect of everybody on this football team. It always helps when you are acquainted with most of the guys on the team, like he is, being a PA guy. I’m really happy with him.”
5. CHUCKING OUT SOME COMPLIMENTS. From Losey: “A couple of guys from a growth and maturity standout, guys who I think are trending really well for us: Anthony Donkoh (OL, 6-5, 328), talk about a great kid who just embraces every challenge we put in front of him. He’s got a bright future on this football team. Jameial Lyons (DE, 6-5, 252) is another guy who has emerged this offseason. Just unbelievable athleticism. You got glimpses of it with him this past year, with him getting a little bit of playing time. Again, I’m excited for him. Tony Rojas (LB, 6-2, 225)…keeps trending. He’s going to be a big player for us.
“Then there are two guys I’m really proud of, who are a little older in the program: Zakee Wheatley (S, 6-2, 196) and Zuriah Fisher (DE, 6-3, 262). Just from a maturity standpoint and to see where they are in their journey, I’m really happy with those guys, Zuriah especially, with the way he’s embraced competition, because we have a lot of competition going on at that defensive end spot right now.”
6. ANDY IS ALL IN. Penn State’s new offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, was an active presence throughout the weight-lifting session, and was clearly having a good time. He’s an ABC guy, I think: Always Be Coaching.
7. LUCAS IS (BACK) IN THE HOUSE. Former Nittany Lion standout cornerback/safety Jordan Lucas, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs in his NFL career, was out and about at the workout. Lucas was hired in early 2024 as a new defensive analyst by head coach James Franklin. But, when a spot opened at graduate assistant, Lucas slid over to the GA spot, where he’ll be able to do hands-on coaching. It’s a cliché, but he looks like he could still play.
8. NO ESCAPING NIL. The Happy Valley United collective hosted nearly 50 current and prospective donors for a good bit of the session. They outnumbered the media by at least 2-to-1.
9. COUSINS ALREADY PART OF THE FAMILY. Freshman O-lineman Cooper Cousins may have just arrived in January, but he’s already stood out — and not just because of his 6-6, 315-pound frame.
“He was ready to go,” Losey said. “He was one of the best guys as far as keeping in communication with us, as far as what the expectation was when they stepped on campus mid-year. His mental game, and the way he is with his teammates and the guys within his class, he has some serious leadership ability.
“I can see him being a leader for us down the road, just the way he communicates with his peers. He doesn’t communicate within his class like you’d think a freshman in college would. He’s hard on his peers. That’s difficult for a lot of these guys, to be hard on someone who is the same age or is one or two years younger or older. But he also loves them up. He can be compassionate.”
10. SPRING BREAK, THEN SPRING PRACTICE. On Friday afternoon, all of Penn State goes on spring break. Classes resume on Monday, March 11. The Nittany Lions start their official spring drills on Tuesday, March 12, with their 15 official days of practice culminating with the Blue-White Game in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 13. Kick-off is at 2 p.m.
