Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.
Default AvatarPenn State - The Lions Den
New
Avatar
UNCPSUFANSep 29, 4:26 PM

For next season go get a quarterback from the portal

IMHO, the situation we are in with Allar at present it is paramount we go get a proven quarterback out of the portal. For two reasons. Number one for the offensive system we run you need a duel threat quarterback and we have none on the roster at present and into next season. Number two, you get kids who are PROVEN quarterbacks out of the portal not the ones like a five star Drew Allar who you hope develops and has not developed into a real good quarterback. See what a difference proven commodities has done for Oklahoma and Mississippi this season. How many Brice Underwoods are out there from high school that can come in with that talent and be good right off the bat? In addition, I hope we can keep these G-5 teams around in the future with this new environment in college football. There some good players at those schools who can play at a high level in the P-5. Keep those G-5 alive while enabling them to feed some of the P-5 with players now and then.
63 Replies
Avatar

ElJefe603

Sep 29, 4:33 PM

You'd expect whomever doesn't win out between Grunkemeyer and Smolik (currently Smolik) to transfer this offseason. If/when that happens, PSU is likely to look for a QB2 from the portal That being said, one of the two guys above is going to be QB1 at PSU in 2026. Full stop.
Avatar

Michaelion

Sep 29, 4:33 PM

It's not the way PSU likes or wants to handle the position, BUT I agree. I don't think we have as talented a room as we may think or need...and it may be a bigger gap than we realize.
Avatar

Jrs1024

Sep 29, 4:35 PM

Michaelion said:
It's not the way PSU likes or wants to handle the position, BUT I agree. I don't think we have as talented a room as we may think or need...and it may be a bigger gap than we realize.
Something has to change. Coddling guys isn’t working.
Avatar

rs3524

Sep 29, 4:37 PM

ElJefe603 said:
You'd expect whomever doesn't win out between Grunkemeyer and Smolik (currently Smolik) to transfer this offseason. If/when that happens, PSU is likely to look for a QB2 from the portal That being said, one of the two guys above is going to be QB1 at PSU in 2026. Full stop.
I think you are most likely right, but Kraft was aggressive financially in getting Knowles and talked openly about doing the same at WR. I don’t think getting a starter from the portal is out of the question in the right scenario. let’s say Eli Drinkwitz gets the Florida/Auburn/LSU/etc job….
Avatar

Pierogi

Sep 29, 4:37 PM

The top QB transfers go A) where the money is and B) where QBs are developed. PSU can't offer either at this point.
Avatar

BigWill57

Sep 29, 4:37 PM

Does Beau have eligibility?
Avatar

rs3524

Sep 29, 4:38 PM

BigWill57 said:
Does Beau have eligibility?
Yes
Avatar

Taycro

Sep 29, 4:38 PM

I don't think we have the NIL budget to get a top, proven QB out of the portal
Avatar

lyndj

Sep 29, 4:40 PM

Jrs1024 said:
Something has to change. Coddling guys isn’t working.
I agree to a certain extent but it's a fine line for PSU. We don't recruit like OSU where they could just let a highly ranked player walk. We pretend to compare ourselves to them and Oregon and we are not there.
Avatar

Sayflip717

Sep 29, 4:40 PM

ElJefe603 said:
You'd expect whomever doesn't win out between Grunkemeyer and Smolik (currently Smolik) to transfer this offseason. If/when that happens, PSU is likely to look for a QB2 from the portal That being said, one of the two guys above is going to be QB1 at PSU in 2026. Full stop.
Depends who the OC is.
Avatar

ElJefe603

Sep 29, 4:40 PM

rs3524 said:
let’s say Eli Drinkwitz gets the Florida/Auburn/LSU/etc job….
It would be silly of Missouri's current QB1 to not follow him (and presumably Kirby Moore) to those kind of places
Avatar

ElJefe603

Sep 29, 4:41 PM

Sayflip717 said:
Depends who the OC is.
No it does not
Avatar

rs3524

Sep 29, 4:43 PM

ElJefe603 said:
It would be silly of Missouri's current QB1 to not follow him (and presumably Kirby Moore) to those kind of places
I think that would be more likely, and I think Eli is a real candidate. But Beau portalling would be the scenario where you can thread the needle of not upsetting the roster/philosophy on the QB room and you know there would be donor and rev share money to make that happen.
Avatar

ElJefe603

Sep 29, 4:44 PM

rs3524 said:
But Beau portalling would be the scenario where you can thread the needle of not upsetting the roster/philosophy on the QB room and you know there would be donor and rev share money to make that happen.
I'd be very surprised if the winner of the Grunk/Smolik battle doesn't also portal if PSU brings in a QB1 over them, which would leave PSU exactly where they started in needing a QB2 for 2026 with the addition of the problem of not projecting to have a QB1 for 2027
Avatar

Dsmeltz2

Sep 29, 4:44 PM

Lots of hypotheticals here, but assuming the offense doesn’t get going this season and they go into next year with Grunk running this Kotelnicki offense it’s an insane decision. You have a HC who’s had success with mobile QB’s, an OC who loves mobile QB’s, and an inconsistent WR room for years. Grunk may be more athletic but is he really athletic enough to open up the option game of this Kotelnicki offense?
Avatar

BigWill57

Sep 29, 4:47 PM

Taycro said:
I don't think we have the NIL budget to get a top, proven QB out of the portal
We paid Drew $3mm this year. Beau is going to me more than that?
Avatar

ElJefe603

Sep 29, 4:48 PM

BigWill57 said:
We paid Drew $3mm this year. Beau is going to me more than that?
Unlikely to be less
Avatar

rs3524

Sep 29, 4:49 PM

ElJefe603 said:
I'd be very surprised if the winner of the Grunk/Smolik battle doesn't also portal if they bring in a QB1 over them, which leaves PSU exactly where they started in needing a QB2 for 2026 and now adds the problem of not projecting to have a QB1 for 2027 too
I get that, but if you aren’t confident in the guys you recruited and have in the room are you really giving the job to Grunk to keep the room stable? I think Grunk can be average , but Sean and co have mentioned they will likely look to the portal for another guy. Smolik is likely gone anyway, and I think Kritza is legitimately an awful eval so your room is barren of talent beyond Grunk. If you can scrounge the money I think you put the chips in and reset the room. I am also not that into Troy Huhn so getting a 2nd guy in 26 was always my hope
Avatar

SheetzBetterThanWawa

Sep 29, 4:50 PM

Or we could keep with our QB’s and get a top tier portal WR (if one enters)
Avatar

ElJefe603

Sep 29, 5:00 PM

rs3524 said:
I get that, but if you aren’t confident in the guys you recruited and have in the room are you really giving the job to Grunk to keep the room stable? I think Grunk can be average , but Sean and co have mentioned they will likely look to the portal for another guy. Smolik is likely gone anyway, and I think Kritza is legitimately an awful eval so your room is barren of talent beyond Grunk. If you can scrounge the money I think you put the chips in and reset the room.
Fitz has been talking about a QB2 when he's mentioned that, not a QB1 Idk where the desire to reset the room has come from, PSU looks to have a pretty good QB1 for 2026 in either Grunkemeyer or Smolik, and I'm quite certain the staff wants 0.0 part in doing anything to risk losing both of those guys to the portal. That room has been one of the healthiest QB rooms in the sport for the better part of this decade and it's one Huhn/2027QB hit away from remaining that way into the next decade. There's no good reason to blow it up right now
Avatar

Taycro

Sep 29, 5:01 PM

BigWill57 said:
We paid Drew $3mm this year. Beau is going to me more than that?
Good counterpoint. I just meant if like a Dante Moore type were to enter next year.
Avatar

blackshoes

Sep 29, 5:02 PM

ElJefe603 said:
You'd expect whomever doesn't win out between Grunkemeyer and Smolik (currently Smolik) to transfer this offseason. If/when that happens, PSU is likely to look for a QB2 from the portal That being said, one of the two guys above is going to be QB1 at PSU in 2026. Full stop.
Its way too early to say any of that. There is never any idea who is going to be available. We didn't even know who is good yet in CFB. Who knew who John mateer was at this time last year? Hardcore fans but he was just making a name for himself late September. Projecting rosters now is foolish. PSU has had the benefit of probably one of the least volatile roster turnover in the country. It isn't going to stay like that.
Avatar

rs3524

Sep 29, 5:02 PM

ElJefe603 said:
Fitz has been talking about a QB2 when he's mentioned that, not a QB1
Not entirely true. I don’t think it’s the most likely, but I’m fairly confident they will at least look into the options
Sean Fitz said:
I don't know that. The market will likely determine it.
Avatar

Taycro

Sep 29, 5:03 PM

ElJefe603 said:
Fitz has been talking about a QB2 when he's mentioned that, not a QB1 Idk where the desire to reset the room has come from, PSU looks to have a pretty good QB1 for 2026 in either Grunkemeyer or Smolik, and I'm quite certain the staff wants 0.0 part in doing anything to risk losing both of those guys to the portal. That room has been one of the healthiest QB rooms in the sport for the better part of this decade and it's one Huhn/2027QB hit away from remaining that way into the next decade. There's no good reason to blow it up right now
Did you just say our QB room has been one of the healthiest QB rooms in the sport for the better part of this decade? We haven't had a good QB since 2016-2017 McSorely (even he regressed hard in '18). Our QB room has been one of the main things holding us back, honestly probably since 1994.

Thanks for checking out this free message board preview.

Join the full discussion at The Lions Den