STATE COLLEGE — Penn State started spring ball back in March with a few question marks. Fast forward to Saturday when the Nittany Lions wrapped up camp with the Blue-White game, and one of the biggest questions still doesn’t have an answer — and might not until the fall.
Who will be Penn State’s backup quarterback behind Drew Allar?
We all know there are two options after Beau Pribula’s exit. It will be either Ethan Grunkemeyer or Jaxon Smolik serving as Allar’s understudy for the 2025 season.
But as James Franklin hinted at all spring — and confirmed after the Blue-White game — we’re going to have to wait a while to find out which quarterback wins the No. 2 job.
“It’s going to be a battle, and I truly mean that,” Franklin said Saturday at Beaver Stadium. “… That’ll be a battle. That’ll be a true battle I think right up to the wire.”
Backup quarterback may not seem like a big deal, especially relative to the team’s question marks at linebacker and wide receiver. But if Allar gets injured — even for a half like he did last fall — either Grunkemeyer or Smolik will have to be ready at a moment’s notice.
Grunkemeyer did some “phenomenal things” last year, Franklin said. The highly-touted 2024 signee made a good first impression after enrolling early last January. But no one at that point would have expected Grunkemeyer to be backing up Allar in the College Football Playoff.
Smolik went down with a season-ending injury this time last year, and Pribula was forced to make an “impossible decision” before the CFP started. The experienced deputy entered the transfer portal days before Penn State played SMU in the first round of the CFP. Pribula ended up at Missouri and is now competing for a starting spot in the SEC.
Pribula’s portal decision left Grunkemeyer as the only healthy scholarship quarterback available to back up Allar. That experience — plus his rocket arm and skill — made Grunkemeyer a likely option to grow behind Allar and take over the top job in 2026.
But Smolik used this spring to remind everyone — coaches, teammates, fans and media alike — that he’s very much in the mix to be the backup in 2025 and the starter in 2026.
Smolik, a redshirt sophomore, was an under-the-radar recruit when he signed in the 2023 recruiting class. Smolik was the team’s No. 3 QB two seasons ago, but he didn’t see meaningful reps behind Allar and Pribula. So between that and the injury sidelining him for the entire 2024 campaign, it’s understandable if Smolik fell off the consciousness.
“Jaxon missed the whole year. So we didn’t really have a whole lot to compare and contrast,” Franklin said. “Then Jaxon comes back, and you’re not sure how he’s going to be. Is he going to be rusty? But he had a great spring. … Jaxon bounced back physically from the injury really well, mentally and emotionally really well. And I thought he had a great spring.”
It showed on Saturday, too. The highlight of the day was a 40-yard touchdown pass from Smolik to true freshman Lyrick Samuel. Smolik was rolling to his left and uncorked the throw off his back foot. It was an impressive moment, one that drew a big cheer from the crowd.
Smolik played well throughout the day. But so did Grunkemeyer. Penn State didn’t keep official stats, but Grunkemeyer got into a rhythm later in the afternoon. He found success targeting second-year wide receiver Tyseer Denmark. His best throw of the day was a layered pass through zone coverage to find Denmark for a big gain.
Grunkemeyer’s and Smolik’s performances Saturday and throughout spring camp leaves Franklin, as well as offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien and assistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley, in an interesting spot.
Clearly, Franklin isn’t ready to name a backup quarterback. But the staff will have to come to a conclusion in August or early in September. Whoever is backing up Allar requires the necessary reps, both in practice and in games, to be ready if an injury befalls QB1.
For now, it’s a good problem for Franklin and Penn State to have. They have a pair of hungry, talented quarterbacks competing each and every day for the No. 2 job. That will only make them — and even Allar and true freshman Bekkem Kritza — better.
Someday, Franklin will have to make a decision. But Saturday was not that day.