Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
3 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M RETURNING STARTER Drew Allar | Sr. Allar started all 16 games for Penn State as a junior and finished the season with 262 completions on 394 attempts (66.5 percent) for 3,327 yards, with 24 touch- downs and 8 interceptions. He threw 3 touchdowns against five opponents (West Virginia, Kent State, Pur- due, Oregon and Boise State). OTHER RETURNEES Ethan Grunkemeyer | R-Fr. Grunkemeyer did not see action until Penn State's College Football Playoff opener. He took his first college snap in the fourth quarter of the Nittany Lions' 38-10 victory over SMU, completing 1 of 2 passes for 9 yards. Jaxon Smolik | R-So. Smolik was injured last spring and missed the entire season. He saw action against Delaware as a true fresh- man but has yet to attempt a pass for the Nittany Lions after signing as a three-star prospect in the class of 2023. NEWCOMER Bekkem Kritza | Fr. Kritza spent time at four different high schools, fin- ishing at Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Fla. He helped lead the Lions to a Class 1A state championship after arriving at midseason and enrolled at Penn State in January after finishing his high school career as a three-star prospect and the No. 66 quarterback nation- ally, per On3. 2025 Outlook When redshirt sophomore backup Beau Pribula revealed on Dec. 15 that he was transferring, it was a clear sign that Allar would be coming back. An honorable mention All-Big Ten choice as a junior, Allar made it official the next day, announcing that he planned to forgo the NFL Draft and would re- turn to the Nittany Lions in 2025. There was some speculation during the latter stages of Penn State's Col- lege Football Playoff run that Allar might change his mind, given the rela- tive weakness of this year's rookie quarterback class. Those murmurs died down after a tough night in the Orange Bowl in which he completed 12 of 23 passes for 135 yards, with a last-minute interception that set up Notre Dame's winning field goal. Coach James Franklin said late in the season that Allar "has been doing a ton of really good things. He's developing, he's getting better, he's playing great and he's leading." Allar finished fourth in the Big Ten with a pass-efficiency rating of 153.5. His performance against Notre Dame, in which he compiled a career-low passing grade of 36.6 from Pro Football Focus, left a sour taste, but his overall trajectory has been upward. With Ohio State's Will Howard, Or- egon's Dillon Gabriel and Indiana's Kurtis Rourke all exiting, Allar figures to be the top returning quarterback in the Big Ten next season. There won't be much experience behind him, though. Smolik sat out the 2024 season while recovering from an unspecified injury he suffered the previous spring. Having redshirted the year before, the former three-star prospect from Van Meter, Iowa, has played in only one game since his se- nior year at Dowling Catholic in 2022. Grunkemeyer didn't play during the regular season and would almost certainly have missed the playoff, too, had Pribula stuck around. He saw limited action against SMU, completing 1 of 2 passes for 9 yards, with an interception on a batted ball. The No. 10 quarterback nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking for the class of 2024, Grunkemeyer has drawn praise from Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and will benefit from the increased reps he'll receive throughout the offseason with Pribula gone. Assuming Smolik is cleared to return, he and Grunkemeyer will battle it out to be Allar's backup in 2025. Kritza is all but certain to redshirt. — Matt Herb Drew Allar's Experience Will Bolster Penn State's Offense Allar announced on Dec. 16 that he plans to return to the Nittany Lions for his senior season. He ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a 153.5 pass-efficiency rating as a junior. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS 2025 LOOK AHEAD QUARTERBACK