Penn State football quarterback room may be one of the best in the Big Ten

The Penn State football quarterback room is going through some major changes this fall with the loss of Sean Clifford and Christian Veilleux. However, despite the departure of the team’s starter and a former four-star depth piece, the room is still shaping up to be one of the best in the Big Ten, if not the nation, ahead of the 2023 season. With emerging talents like Drew Allar, Beau Pribula, and Jaxon Smolik, this year’s quarterback room has the potential to be one of the strongest in the conference.

Penn State football quarterback room could be one of the best in the Big Ten this year

The Penn State football quarterback room boasts plenty of talent but lacks one key component: experience. Nonetheless, I anticipate that both Drew Allar and Beau Pribula will have gained significant in-game experience by the time October arrives, which will prove valuable in matchups against top Big Ten contenders like Michigan and Ohio State. Apart from experience, few teams across the nation have a QB room that matches the caliber of talent present in Penn State’s.

The starter: Former 5-star Drew Allar

Although it has yet to be officially announced, the prevailing sentiment within the college football world is that Drew Allar will take the reins as the Penn State football starting quarterback this fall. In fact, should anyone other than Allar be named the Week 1 starter against West Virginia, Penn State fans may well call for James Franklin’s job regardless of the game’s outcome.

As a former five-star recruit (according to the 247 Sports composite rankings) and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, Allar is highly regarded. Despite not starting a game last season during the Lions’ 11-2 campaign, Allar displayed considerable promise and received significant playing time. This fall, Allar will finally have the opportunity to live up to the hype. He possesses the physical stature, skills, and intelligence necessary to excel at the position, and now it’s time for him to demonstrate these qualities on the field.

The backup: Former 4-star Beau Pribula

Right behind Drew Allar is another impressive sophomore quarterback, Beau Pribula, who hails from Pennsylvania. As a recruit, Pribula was a four-star quarterback, and even though Allar had committed first, Pribula still chose to play for Penn State football. As a lifelong Penn State fan, Pribula seems to have found the perfect role for himself. In fact, if he remains with the Nittany Lions during the Drew Allar era, he could potentially take over as soon as the 2025 season if Allar opts to enter the draft a season early.

Unlike Allar, Beau brings a unique dual-threat style to the Penn State football offense, as he is capable of running or passing the ball effectively. While his talent level may not be on par with Allar’s, he has more versatility and should see significant playing time this fall, despite serving as a backup.

3rd strong: True freshman Jaxon Smolik

Behind Allar and Pribula in the Penn State football quarterback room is the Nittany Lions’ new No. 14: former three-star Jaxon Smolik. Smolik is currently in his first year at Penn State University, and while he may not see significant playing time this year, he has shown promise during spring ball. Smolik was a consensus three-star quarterback in the class of 2023 and comes from Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa. While Jaxon Smolik may not have been the highest-ranked quarterback in his class, he was one of the top 40 quarterbacks and top 10 recruits in his state.

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