James Franklin sounds off on Penn State QB battle, what he's seen during spring

Penn State’s spring workouts culminated Saturday in the Blue and White spring game at Beaver Stadium. It’s a chance to the staff and fans to see the new-look roster, including quarterback heir apparent Drew Allar.

Of course, Allar got some looks last season, but it looks like he’s getting ready to take over for Sean Clifford as QB1. Head coach James Franklin spoke with Big Ten Network’s Matt McGloin and said the plan is to get some of the other quarterbacks some looks, as well, and he said the quarterback room looks solid.

“It’s been good,” Franklin said of the quarterback competition. “Obviously, Drew got some experience last year. Beau [Pribula], we’ve got a lot of confidence in. It’s been a battle this spring. Jaxon Smolik’s been able to get some reps, which were valuable. We’ll see how they kind of transform between now and West Virginia.”

Allar got plenty of experience last year in a solid freshman season. He completed 58.3% of his passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games last year in relief of Clifford. A former highly touted recruit, Allar was a five-star prospect and the nation’s No. 3-ranked quarterback from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

In the spring game, Allar threw for an early touchdown as he connected with Omari Evans for an early touchdown to get the Blue team on the board.

Pribula was also a 2022 product and was the No. 26 quarterback in the country. Smolik is this year’s quarterback recruit from the 2023 class. He was a three-star prospect and the No. 36-ranked quarterback in the cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

James Franklin: ‘I like where we’re at’ through spring practice

Franklin also acknowledged the need to still answer some questions on the Penn State roster. That said, he thought the Nittany Lions put together a solid stretch of spring practices.

After Saturday, the march is on to the regular-season opener against West Virginia.

“There’s always, obviously, still some questions out there that we’ve got to get resolved,” Franklin said. “But I thought we had a great spring. Still got some things that we’ve got to get resolved before West Virginia, but I like where we’re at.”

After Saturday’s spring game, Penn State will turn its attention to fall camp as the season opener looms Sept. 2.