Penn State’s QB battle is very real according to Drew Allar and James Franklin

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — While it may not seem like it for most fans, the Nittany Lions are in the middle of a heated position battle ahead of the 2023 college football season. Drew Allar and Beau Pribula — both rising true sophomores for the Penn State football team right now — are battling it out for the starting spot during spring ball, and according to James Franklin, there is not a clear-cut winner right now. On Tuesday, Nittany Lion quarterback Drew Allar and head coach James Franklin had a chance to comment on Penn State’s spring QB battle to this point.

Penn State’s spring QB battle: real or fake?

Out of high school, Penn State football quarterback Drew Allar was rated as a five-star quarterback and was ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation. In fact, Allar generated so much hype when he committed to James Franklin’s Nittany Lions, that many fans wanted him to start over 6-year veteran quarterback Sean Clifford a season ago.

Heading into a brand new season this fall, most fans believe that Drew Allar has already won Penn State’s spring QB battle; however, James Franklin says he will know who is the starter in due time.

“I think it has been a really good competition,” James Franklin told the media on Tuesday evening. “Those guys are battling, they’re both doing really good things. Sometimes it’s hard to compare and contrast because our [starting defense] is really good and talented, so who they are going against is part of it as well. Making sure that Drew gets reps with the [backups] and Beau gets some reps with the [starters] and visa versa. Those things are important.

“I think those two guys are both battling, they’re two guys that we are really excited [about] not only for this year, but for their futures. And really [Penn State true freshman quarterback] Jackson Smolik has done some good things. Him coming here now is huge, because I think without him it would be hard to feel like we had a third quarterback.”

When asked how long Penn State’s spring QB battle will draw out, James Franklin had a simple answer: “Until it is obvious and has been decided,” Franklin said.

Despite the quarterback battle, former five-star passer says the position battles make him and his team better

After James Franklin spoke to the media, Penn State football rising sophomore quarterback Drew Allar had a chance to speak with the media as well. Obviously, Allar was asked to address Penn State’s spring QB battle and how it has been going so far.

“I think every position is open,” Drew Allar told reporters on Tuesday night. “I think everybody [on the team] has that mindset where we are competing against each other but we are doing it in the right way. We’re also helping each other at the same time — you can say that across the board at every position.”

Despite being one of the most-hyped recruits that the Penn State football program has ever landed, Drew Allar doesn’t expect to be given the starting role.

“I think we are doing a really good job of having that internal competition against each other but we are also becoming closer as a team. So it’s been going really good.”

Despite what some fans and the national media may think, Penn State’s QB battle is very real, and the starting role remains up for grabs as we enter the final weeks of spring ball and head into the Blue-White game on the 15th day of this month.

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