How a former Ohio State assistant coach stole a 5-star quarterback from the Buckeyes’ backyard

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Drew Allar’s journey toward becoming a key figure in a top-10 matchup between Ohio State and Penn State started years ago inside a Medina High School football film session.

Allar was a sophomore when Medina coach Larry Laird gave him a speech that eventually turned him into one of the three starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten who graduated high school as five-star recruits. The others are OSU’s Kyle McCord and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.

Laird saw the potential Allar was working with. But he needed Allar to see it for himself. That film session provided the perfect chance to open Allar’s eyes to what he could be.

“When are you going to get it? When are you going to realize you’re the man?” Laird asked him. “After that, he was just a different kid.”

According to Laird, Allar is a “self-made” product. He didn’t even start playing quarterback until he got to high school, spending his middle school years as a linebacker and tight end. But his transition to quarterback didn’t take long. He spent the first six weeks of the 2019 season as a backup for the Battling Bees, playing in every third series. By Week 7, the job was his and soon after he was putting up the type of passing numbers that aren’t that common in Ohio high school football.

Those numbers were a product of a kid who had become obsessed with his development.

“He just took off,” Laird said. “The kid’s a football junkie. He watches film like crazy. He watches more film than I do and that’s saying something.”

All that was missing from that point was the talent development that he hoped would follow that level of obsession. It took some time for that to happen. But one man saw it earlier than everybody else.

Doing so has set up Penn State to come to Columbus and do something it hasn’t done since 2011, by finally getting a road win over the very school Allar grew up rooting for. Even if Allar is doing everything he can to not make this about him.

“It feels a little bit different but nothing too crazy,” Allar said. “We really just want to focus on ourselves. As a team, we can’t worry about what outsiders are saying (or) what national media’s saying about us. That’s not gonna help us achieve our goals. They’re not gonna be out there helping us win the game so we have to focus on ourselves.”

He spent his high school years at Euclid High School, where as a junior and senior he led the Panthers to a 20-3 record while setting records in career passing yards (2,209) and touchdowns (22). Now he’s in the school’s hall of fame.

That foundation isn’t the primary reason why he would later pull Allar out of Medina. But it mattered. Even Penn State head coach James Franklin knows that.

 

“Let’s be honest, he’s from Ohio,” Franklin said. “If you’re from Ohio, and you’ve got buddies and friends calling you about guys, it’s more natural to find out about guys and be aware of guys that are from your area just because of the connections and network you have. That got it started and we liked his film.”

Yurcich’s relationship with Allar and his family started long before he got to State College. He’d spent the bulk of his career as a Power Five assistant coach at Oklahoma State, serving as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. When Ryan Day was promoted to head coach at Ohio State, Yurcich was part of his initial staff as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019, helping turn Justin Fields into a Heisman Trophy finalist.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Larry Johnson immediately recognized J.T. Tuimoloau’s uncommon talents, the veteran Ohio State football defensive line coach wowed by athleticism exploding in every direction.

Tuimoloau’s exploits for Edgewood (Washington) Eastside Catholic told Johnson he had found the next edge rusher for his Rushmen lineage. He went back in the winter for a look at the hardcourt version. Then he couldn’t want to go back again.

“That’s what sold me,” Johnson said. “I’d go watch him practice and he’s above the rim. He’s got great feet. He’s making jump shots. I’m like, ‘What in the world?’ ”

Penn State, Saturday’s opponent, knows exactly how those talents translate to the football field. The Buckeyes only won in Beaver Stadium last season thanks to Tuimoloau’s ability to seemingly teleport himself around the field and make one disruptive play after another. By forcing and recovering a fumble, intercepting two passes and returning one for a touchdown and tipping another picked-off pass, he directly contributed to 21 points in a 44-31 victory.