Penn State football: QB battle still ongoing, but Drew Allar is standing out

Earlier this week, Penn State football head coach James Franklin sat down with ON3’s JD Pickell for a one-on-one interview. During the interview, the Nittany Lions’ head coach discussed the ongoing quarterback battle on the team. According to Franklin, the QB competition in Happy Valley has not been settled yet, but former five-star quarterback Drew Allar has been standing out and generating much excitement as they head into the summer.

Penn State football facing an ongoing quarterback battle ahead of the 2023 season

Drew Allar has not officially been declared as QB1 just yet, but it is highly likely that the former five-star prospect from Ohio will be the starting quarterback for Penn State football this fall. However, the Nittany Lions also have an incredible sophomore waiting in the wings, eager for an opportunity to compete for the starting job in this spring’s quarterback competition.

Drew Allar makin’ plays?

pic.twitter.com/gvMspfyW19

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 10, 2022

Beau Pribula, a former four-star prospect who joined the team in the class of 2022, has been receiving a lot of praise so far. He brings his own valuable set of skills to the table for this year’s offense. Unlike Allar, who Franklin describes as an “old school” type of quarterback, Pribula has the ability to both move the ball and extend plays with his legs as well as his arm.

This is not to say that Allar can’t run, as he has demonstrated his ability to do so to some extent. However, he doesn’t possess the same level of running skills as Beau.

I was really impressed with QB Beau Pribula during the Blue White game last year.

He looked super comfortable running the offense for a guy who was only on campus for a few weeks at this point.

I can’t wait to watch him at the Blue White game next month to see his growth! pic.twitter.com/YiNqwt9zAS

— The Basic Blues Podcast (@BasicBluesPod) March 27, 2023

The starting job does not belong to Drew Allar… yet

Throughout the spring, one of the top headlines surrounding Penn State football has been the ongoing quarterback battle, according to head coach James Franklin. However, the Nittany Lions are reportedly impressed with their 6-foot-5 former five-star QB, Drew Allar, who appears to be the clear front-runner in the race for QB1 this spring.

For Penn State football, this year’s quarterback competition has been highly anticipated by fans and the national media, especially considering that the team had Sean Clifford as their starting quarterback from 2019 to 2022. It will be the first time since Trace McSorley’s final year at Penn State that James Franklin’s offense will be led by a quarterback wearing a different number than 14.

Head coach James Franklin sounds off on Allar’s talent level

In a recent interview, James Franklin stated that although the QB1 position is still up for grabs, Drew Allar has impressed the coaching staff so far.

“He’s kind of more of the old-school, traditional NFL quarterback. He’s 6-foot-5, he’s 242 pounds. He can make if not every throw on the field almost all of them. But he actually has a little bit more mobility than people may think, so there’s a lot of excitement about him.

“We’ve got a competition for the quarterback spot and Drew Allar is a young man that there’s a lot of excitement about,” Franklin said according to ON3. “Coming out of high school he was the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country, was our backup quarterback last year. And unusually he was able to play in almost every single game, so that was a real positive that we were able to get him a ton of reps and experience last year.”

Replacing a veteran like Sean Clifford will be challenging. Despite his flaws, Clifford was a solid and experienced quarterback for Penn State football, and his leadership will be missed. However, there is plenty of reason for optimism with the quarterback room the Nittany Lions have, and as they head into summer ball, there is no shortage of hype surrounding the new faces at the quarterback position for Penn State.

Drew Allar did this as a freshman… in his second game ever… this was like his 6th in-game snap and not even his best throw of the day. pic.twitter.com/UOR4tAqYEV

— Chris Mangum (@ChrisMangumBBN) December 13, 2022

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