Penn State Spring Position Previews: Quarterback
Penn State's spring practices are less than a month away meaning it's time to begin previewing what the Nittany Lions will look like during spring practices this season.
Today, we start with the quarterback position. One where the Nittany Lions for the first time in four years will have a new full-time starting quarterback. Entering this spring, the program has just three quarterbacks in the room, all scholarship players.
It's also a young and inexperienced quarterback room for the Nittany Lions, with just one of the three signal callers seeing in-game action at the collegiate level. In a year that the program will have so many high expectations, it will be the young quarterback room that will have to seize the moment in order for the program to reach those expectations.
Let's take a look at the departures, additions, and how the Nittany Lions' depth chart at the position looks entering this spring.
DEPARTURES
SEAN CLIFFORD
2022 stats: 226-for-351 (64.4%), 2,822 yards, 24 TDs, 7 INT
Career stats: 833-for-1356 (61.4%), 10,661 yards, 86 TDs, 31 INT
The Rundown:
Anytime you lose a starting quarterback, an offense is going to look different in a year-to-year perspective. When you lose a four-year starting quarterback, those differences are going to be even more dramatic. That's what awaits Penn State in 2023 as Clifford finished up his Penn State career in 2022 with his best season as the Nittany Lions starting quarterback. For all his ups and downs, his final career stat line is a good one and he also leaves Penn State with a pair of 10+ win seasons as well as Cotton Bowl and Rose Bowl titles.
ADDITIONS
Smolik was Penn State's quarterback signee for the 2023 recruiting cycle, committing to the program in August after decommitting from Tulane. The Iowa native emerged nationally last summer after an impressive showing at the Elite 11.
He would soon camp at Penn State, earning an offer in the process. Not too long after he would announce his commitment to the Nittany Lions.
James Franklin and his staff believe they get one of the biggest steals of the 2023 recruiting cycle in Smolik. The 6-foot-2 signal-caller has a good arm and showed quality accuracy during his senior season at Dowling Catholic.
The plan will be to redshirt Smolik this upcoming season while serving as an emergency quarterback in the process.
PROJECTED STARTER: DREW ALLAR
2022 stats: 35-for-60 (58.3%), 344 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
Career stats: 35-for-60 (58.3%), 344 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
There is no way around it, Penn State's 2023 season largely rides on the shoulders of Medina (OH) native Drew Allar. The former high our-star recruit played his fair share in 2023 for the Nittany Lions, throwing 60 passes in the process.
Allar has all the tools to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten, a prototypical frame, and a big arm. The only question for No. 15 has been his accuracy, as a true freshman, his accuracy was good for the most part, as long as he can continue to improve in that area, the sky is the limit for the Nittany Lions.
PROJECTED BACKUP: BEAU PRIBULA
Allar gets most of the love but Pribula has quietly flown under the radar and has quite the ceiling himself. The former three-star quarterback has drawn comparisons to former Nittany Lions' star quarterback Trace McSorley in his play style.
McSorley coming out of Central York showed dual-threat abilities alongside quality arm strength and good accuracy. As a senior for Central York, he completed 141-of-197 passing attempts (71.6%) for 2,575 yards, 33 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
As a true freshman, Pribula did not appear in any games for the Nittany Lions. He'll likely enter the season as the primary backup for the Nittany Lions but if something were to happen with Allar, the Nittany Lions should be confident in what the York native could do at quarterback.
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