Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
3 6 A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 4 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 2023 vs. 2024: Stock Up Or Down? Junior Drew Allar is entering his third season at Penn State and his sec- ond season as the Nittany Lions' starting signal-caller. In addition, redshirt sophomore Beau Pribula now has a full season of college experience under his belt, having played in 11 games last fall. Those facts alone offer good reason to believe that the quarterbacks' stock is rising. Allar's first season at the helm was solid. He finished fourth in the Big Ten with 2,631 passing yards and tied for the league lead with 25 touchdown throws. What's more, he threw just 2 interceptions. Allar became one of only two quarterbacks in FBS history to throw 25 or more touchdown passes and only 2 picks. (Tennessee's Hendon Hooker was the other, doing so in 2022.) This summer, Allar has been garnering attention as a potential first- round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Eric Galko, director of football operations and player personnel for the East-West Shrine Bowl, tweeted in June that the PSU junior is "a real contender to be the first overall pick if he reaches the ceiling he has flashed thus far in college." That's a big if, of course, but it's fair to say that the quarterbacks' stock is up. X-Factor How will the quarterbacks adapt to Penn State's new offensive leader- ship? Andy Kotelnicki is in his first season as offensive coordinator, while Danny O'Brien is in his first full season as quarterbacks coach. Kotelnicki was accustomed to working with dual-threat quarterbacks during his tenure at Kansas. At Penn State, he's got a starter in Allar who is primarily a drop-back passer and a backup in Pribula who has shown he can run the ball but who has attempted only 21 passes at the college level. The read option was a big part of the Jayhawks' attack under Kotelnicki. Penn State will almost certainly try to incorporate elements of that sys- tem into its offense this fall. As BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr noted, "There are still overall benefits to having the concept on running plays, even if the threat is diminished." Freshman Outlook This is entirely contingent on whether Penn State suffers any injuries. If Allar and Pribula both stay healthy — as they did last year when they combined to take 968 snaps — the outlook for PSU's freshman quarter- backs will be to sit tight and await their opportunity in 2025 or '26. However, if one of the team's top two signal-callers does get knocked out of action for a significant length of time, true freshman Ethan Grunke- meyer will become the backup and will have to be ready to hear his num- ber called. Redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik suffered what James Franklin described as a "significant" injury during spring practice, and his availabil- ity this fall is very much in doubt. perspective and is confident that Ko- telnicki's offensive philosophy can help the quarterbacks by allowing them to quickly deliver the ball to the team's most dynamic players, a list headed by junior running backs Nicholas Single- ton and Kaytron Allen. "The more I can get the ball out on time, get it into our playmakers' hands, and allow them to also get in rhythm, [the better]," he said. "If we're able to get Nick and Kaytron out on the perim- eter on a swing pass, it gets me into a rhythm. It's also going to get them into a rhythm because it's going to create one-on-one matchups for them. Being in a rhythm for the whole offense is the goal of Coach K's philosophy." With the season fast approaching, Allar's morale matches his three- word objective for the Nittany Lions' offense. He said he believes that a smooth, efficient and explosive offense is well within the reach of the person- nel Penn State has at its disposal this season. "I'm excited with the progress that we made from spring ball. I think the commitment is at an all-time high since I've been here," he said. "The culture is really good on the offensive side of the ball. We're pushing each other. The defense is pushing us. We're pushing the defense throughout work- outs and our skill instruction. It's been really good." The objective, he added, is to field "the best offense in the country. That's always going to be our goal. And for- tunately enough, we're going against what's going to be again one of the top defenses in the country. It's going to test our abilities day in and day out when we get into fall camp, but we're up to the challenge." ■ Quick Facts Position coach: Danny O'Brien (first season) Returning starter: Drew Allar (13 career starts) Departing starter: None Top reserve: Beau Pribula Newcomer: Ethan Grunkemeyer Beau Pribula saw action in 11 games last season as Drew Allar's backup, completing 11 of 21 passes for 149 yards while rushing for 329 yards on 56 carries. He accounted for 10 touchdowns — 6 on the ground and 4 through the air. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL