The latest loss to Notre Dame brought an end to the Penn State Nittany Lions’ hopes of reaching the National Championship Game last NCAAF season. That’s why head coach James Franklin knows he must field the most competitive roster possible heading into the new campaign — especially at the quarterback position.
The only certainty for the experienced coach is that, barring any setbacks, Drew Allar will be his starting signal-caller come Week 1, when they debut in the season on August 30 against Nevada.
That said, the biggest dilemma right now for Franklin is who will serve as Allar’s primary backup throughout the season, a crucial detail for the head coach. With Jaxon Smolik and Ethan Grunkemeyer as the main alternatives, the HC spoke to the media about this particular situation.
“So that one, in the spring, was really tightly contested,” he said via on3.com. “I thought Jaxon would be rusty coming back, but he wasn’t. He had a great spring. So, this thing is, I think, going to go right down to the wire. Depending, if it finishes up like it did in the spring, it could continue throughout the entire year.
Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in action during the Penn State Blue-White Spring Game on April 26, 2025 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania.
“If it’s close, if there’s a gap, there’s a gap — but if it’s close, I think the competition could go throughout the year, whoever has the best week that week is going to be the backup quarterback type of deal, just based on how close it was this spring.”
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The details behind choosing the QB
While there are still some lingering doubts about who will be Allar’s primary backup throughout the season, Franklin made it clear that the decision will ultimately come down to details, with a particular emphasis on the decision-making ability of his players.
“Obviously, we have all the data to back that up, as well,” Franklin said. “In terms of completion percentage, third-down percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratios, all those metrics that we all know are important in evaluating the quarterback position. You know, eliminating three-and-outs, those types of possessions.
“And then we’ve talked about this before, whether it’s an interception or not, we also grade interception-worthy throws or interception-worthy decisions, okay. Just because the DB dropped the ball, that was still a bad decision or a bad throw. So, having all that data to try to compare and contrast is valuable, but we’ll see.”
The first challenges for Penn State
At the end of August, the Penn State Nittany Lions will once again begin their journey in the NCAAF, with hopes of becoming a model program for the rest. Aiming to be one of the best in the Big 10, here are the first five obstacles they must overcome to achieve this initial goal:
vs Nevada, August 30th vs FIU, September 6thvs Villanova, September 13thvs Oregon, September 27th@ UCLA, October 4th
SurveyCan the Nittany Lions be contenders again in College Football next season?
Can the Nittany Lions be contenders again in College Football next season?