Is there a real quarterback competition this spring?
It’s long been assumed that the next quarterback of the Penn State Nittany Lions will be former five-star quarterback Drew Allar. WhenSean Clifford graduated, Penn State fans were ready for the Allar era to be in full effect.
It seems like James Franklin has some other ideas as of now.
After meeting with the media on Tuesday, it seems like the quarterback competition is as real as it gets between Allar and redshirt freshman Beau Pribula.
Pribula does not have the recruiting profile of Allar, the former five-star prospect and third-ranked quarterback in the class of 2022. Pribula was a three-star recruit and the 26th-ranked quarterback in the same class.
The recruiting profiles aren’t stopping Franklin from making this a true competition.
“I think those two guys are both battling, they’re two guys that we are really excited not only for this year, but for their futures,” Franklin told the media Tuesday.
When asked about how long the competition will last he said, “Until it is obvious and has been decided.”
This may remind some fans about the battle between long-time quarterback Clifford and Will Levis in 2019. Clifford won the starting role and Levis transferred out of the program to Kentucky in 2021 after 14 career games for Penn State. Now, it seems like Levis might have been the better option, considering he’s expected to be a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Discussing the competition this offseason, Franklin said, “This spring is just to get those guys as many reps as we possibly can to be able to evaluate them, to create a competition and to also create depth.”
“Sometimes, it’s hard to compare and contrast because our one defense is really good and talented. So, who they’re going against is important as well. So, making sure that Drew gets some reps with the twos and Beau gets some reps with the ones and vice versa, those things are important,” Franklin told the media Tuesday.
Ultimately, it would be surprising if Allar is not the quarterback of Penn State for the 2023-24 season considering the reps he got last year. It seems like he’ll have to earn the starting position this offseason because it’s been a battle going into the Blue-White Game on April 15th.
Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and Tik Tok
