Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Q U A R T E R B A C K S / / / / / / / 2022 vs. 2023: Stock Up Or Down? When Sean Clifford arrived at Penn State in 2017, Drew Allar was in the eighth grade. It's unusual for there to be such a large age gap between a starting college quarterback and his successor, but it's also unusual, bor- dering on unprecedented, for a quarterback to stay at the same school for six years and to start for four. In between Clifford and Allar, Penn State signed five quarterbacks, all of whom ended up transferring. The absence of a veteran backup means that the sophomore Allar doesn't have to beat out a more-experienced player in order to take the reins this fall. That said, with his five-star pedi- gree and an impressive skill set that he showed off in 10 game appear- ances last fall, he might be the presumptive starter even if there were someone with more seniority on the roster. Allar's high ceiling is one of the reasons why the Nittany Lions are a consensus top-10 team heading into the season, but there's no denying that they have lost a wealth of experience at the game's most important position. By the time he had taken his bows at the end of the Rose Bowl last January, Clifford had seen 2,901 snaps at quarterback for PSU. He was particularly adept at line-of-scrimmage operation, making the checks to get Penn State into the right play. It's one of the reasons why he's battling for a job with the Green Bay Packers this summer after being taken in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Allar, by contrast, has received only 148 snaps so far. The sophomore has only a fraction of his predecessor's experience, so you'd have to say that the Lions' stock at this position is down, at least in the short term. But quarterbacks are long-term investments, and the growth potential of this particular stock is massive. X-Factor How will the Nittany Lions incorporate redshirt freshman Beau Pribula into their offense? James Franklin has alluded frequently this offseason to the coaches' desire to get Pribula on the field in some capacity, even if Allar locks up the starting position in preseason camp as has been widely presumed. The Lions have been able to find roles for their backups in recent years. They even created a position for Tommy Stevens, dubbing him the "Lion" and using him to spell Trace McSorley, mostly on running plays. They did it again a few years later, deploying Will Levis as a runner in short-yardage situations. Of course, Stevens and Levis both ended up transferring, so maybe that's not the exact template PSU will use in hope of finding a sat- isfying role for Pribula. A platoon approach seems unlikely, but the former Central York (Pa.) High standout will get his snaps this fall. Freshman Outlook Pribula didn't see game action last season, but as noted above, that is about to change. As for this year's true freshman quarterback, Jaxon Smolik, he's all but certain to redshirt unless injuries force the coaches' hand. That wouldn't necessarily preclude the former On3 three-star prospect from Van Meter, Iowa, from seeing action in up to four games. A year ago, the Lions were able to work third-teamer Christian Veilleux into three contests. But with neither Allar nor Pribula having much experience yet, getting the top two players on the depth chart as many reps as possible will be a high priority. — Matt Herb Jaxson Smolik arrived at Penn State in January and made his first collegiate appearance in the Blue-White Game. As a senior at Dowling Catholic High in his native Iowa, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,967 yards with 19 touchdowns. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE Quick Facts Position coach: Mike Yurcich (3rd season) Returning starter: None Departing starter: Sean Clifford (46 career starts) Projected new starter: Drew Allar Top reserve: Beau Pribula Newcomer: Jaxon Smolik Moved in: None Moved out: None Scholarship Players (3) No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 15 Drew Allar So. 6-5 243 9 Beau Pribula R-Fr. 6-2 206 14 Jaxon Smolik Fr. 6-1 205