Penn State Football Position Previews: Quarterback

Penn State' season opener against the West Virginia Mountaineers on August 31 is just around the corner with just 23 days remaining. With that, Happy Valley Insider is ready to dive deep into Penn State's roster, going position by position, taking a look at each position group's projected starters, backups, and more.

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Starting the 2024 position previews is the quarterback position, led by one of the Big Ten's best, Drew Allar.

PROJECTED STARTER

Drew Allar is set to return in 2024 as Penn State's starting quarterback as he enters his junior season with the Nittany Lions. In his first year as the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback, Allar put together a high-quality season, throwing for 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns while throwing just two interceptions.

That being said, while Allar's surface level numbers are solid, the Ohio native and former four-star prospect did struggle at times in 2023 with processing the game at collegiate speed. He also struggled mightily in Penn State's biggest games of the year against Ohio State and Michigan. This fall, it will be one of the biggest question marks facing Allar as the rising junior is still considered one of the better quarterbacks potentially available in next year's NFL Draft.

PROJECTED BACKUP

Backing up Allar again in 2024 will be redshirt sophomore quarterback Beau Pribula. The York, Pennsylvania native appeared in 11 games last season, completing 11-of-21 passing attempts for 149 yards and four touchdowns. He also totaled 329 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground across 56 carries.

While Pribula needs to continue to develop as a passer, his dual-threat abilities do offer a different dynamic for Penn State's offense compared to that of Drew Allar, a more prototypical, pocket-passer. It is expected that Pribula will see the field in 2024 potentially in specific packages made just for him.

DEPTH

Grunkemeyer will enter the fall as Penn State's No. 3 quarterback as redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik is expected to miss sometime with an injury that he suffered this offseason. There is plenty of positive buzz surrounding Grunkemeyer in his first few months on campus.

Smolik was garnering his own positive buzz last year but as mentioned above, an injury suffered this preseason will keep Smolik out for the foreseeable future, though Penn State head coach James Franklin does expect the Iowa native to return this fall.