Coach | QB Drew Allar Has Traits To Be Successful At School Like Notre Dame

If Drew Allar‍ had any catching up to do as a quarterback since he didn’t start playing the position until high school, the 2022 Ohio signal-caller has done so and then some by now.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Medina High School has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in his class with offers from schools across the country, including Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, Washington, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Pitt, South Carolina, Texas A&M and many others.

His father, Kevin, played college ball at Eastern Michigan and coached Drew in youth football.

“There's always that stigma of daddy ball and whoever the youth football coach is, they put their son at the quarterback,” Allar’s personal quarterback coach Brad Maendler says. “Well, he did the opposite. He had his son playing tackle and defensive end and linebacker.

“I joked with Kevin that we almost didn’t get to see Drew play QB because Kevin wanted him in the trenches.”

Maendler says Allar could be getting similar offers if he stuck at tight end.

“The reality is Drew is a great football player and would be receiving D-I offers if he played TE, LB, DE, etc.” says Maendler. “He’s a great football player who happens to play QB.”

Maendler started working with Allar in December of 2019 and one of the first things he noticed was Allar’s arm.

“He’s a very talented passer, and I use that term ‘passer’ very intentionally because there are throwers and there are passers,” he says. “Passers can make all the throws with touch, with velocity, and with great ball placement.”

Allar has the arm strength of a thrower, but the versatility to be what Maendler considers a passer.

“His velocity is really something else,” the coach says. “But he has that ability to throw with touch and layer the football as well. He can make clean throws from the pocket. When he's forced to throw off platform, he's very accurate. He has the ability to use different arm angles for the situation.”

Allar’s physical gifts beyond his arm also stand out.

“He is every bit of 6-5, 230,” says Maendler. “When I first met him, he didn’t have control over his body yet. This impacted his balance, drops, etc. He has worked really hard and his feet and athleticism are now a strength.”

“What I didn't know for a little while, was how young he is.”

Maendler says Allar won’t turn 17 until March 8th.

“Think about that, he's 6-5, 230 and he is 16 years old,” he says. “It's pretty crazy when you think about it. And that weight is really good weight. When I first met him, he was probably around 200 pounds and he's been working with a trainer and obviously the school's lifting program as well. He's just improved his body, his movements and his athleticism.”

The third element that makes Allar stick out in Maendler’s mind is his football IQ and instincts.

“He a voracious learner and that's probably been the most fun part of the recruiting process for him, talking to these coaches and doing the X's and O's sessions,” says Maendler. “He is deep in understanding coverages and how to attack them and understand bumps and those kinds of things.

“But he's also got some kind of special spatial intelligence, anticipatory skills, call it whatever you want, but it's different.”

Maendler didn’t see Allar play a live game until this past fall I didn't see him play live until the first game of his junior year and those aspects of his game jumped out immediately.

“Medina has a sophisticated passing attack and they are attacking all areas of the field – short, intermediate, deep,” he says. “But you don't see him hold the football. The number of times that he throws on rhythm and on time is really impressive.

“If you watch typical high school film, you'll see kids sometimes lock in or pat the ball because they're not sure if somebody is open or not, but he's got a very special gift when it comes to that.”

Maendler has also been impressed with Allar’s attitude throughout the process.

“He's a very humble kid,” he says. “He is more on the quiet side and lead by example and his example is really strong.

“He'll bring six to eight receivers with him sometimes, so, I've gotten to know these kids. Like any high school kid, he's going to get razzed by his buddies. And I just love the way he kind of takes it and laughs and it's no big deal. He's got no ego. It's just really, it's really cool.”

Maendler says Allar has many great opportunities, but when asked directly about Notre Dame, he says, “For what they ask their quarterbacks to do, I think he's a great fit, he really is.”

“I think with Brian Kelly’s pro-style offense and the things they ask their quarterback to do, he fits that mold. With his arm he can touch any area of the field they want to attack. With his football IQ and processing speed, he’ll be able to thrive and handle the mental demands they place on their quarterbacks. And with his leadership skills and work ethic, he’ll own that locker room.”