Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
3 8 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 5 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTER ★★★★★ Senior Drew Allar has gotten a lot of at- tention as one of the two or three best quarterbacks in college football this year, and the hype is largely justified. He played very well in 2024 for most of the season. Putting aside the personnel issues at wide receiver, the hyperfocus of the offense on tight end Tyler Warren, and the loss to Ohio State (in which he played reasonably well), Allar was a significant positive for the Penn State offense. Does he have room to grow? Yes. There is another level of aggression and confidence he needs to reach. He has the talent to make throws that most of his peers cannot, but he has to understand which throws are worth it. His play against USC — in which he engineered a 33-30 comeback win by com- pleting 30 of 43 attempts for 391 yards and 2 touchdowns — was a great example of him trusting his instincts and understanding the situation to keep throwing despite chal- lenges and setbacks. However, Allar is still learning to play with the right level of aggression. That takes a lot of refinement, and it's been his focus com- ing off a postseason run that ended with a crushing fourth-quarter interception against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals. But make no mistake, Allar has the tools to take Penn State where it wants to go. EXPERIENCE ★★★ It's not often that a quarterback with a first-round NFL Draft résumé comes back for his senior season, but Allar did just that and will soon begin adding to the 1,908 snaps he's already taken at the college level. Otherwise, Penn State enters the 2025 season with virtually no experience at quar- terback. The two candidates for the backup job — redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik and redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer — have played a combined total of 13 college snaps. Smolik is coming off an injury that forced him to sit out the entire 2024 season. DEPTH ★★ Penn State head coach James Franklin was pleased with what he saw this spring in the battle between Grunkemeyer and Smolik for the backup job. He was so pleased, in fact, that the audition will continue into pre- season camp. Smolik was the clear leader in the Blue- White Game. He was consistent, avoided pressure and made plays, operating the of- fense well and tossing the lone touchdown pass of the day — a 42-yarder to fresh- man wideout Lyrick Samuel. Grunkemeyer struggled more with pressure, which was as much a product of circumstances as anything. Both young passers showed intel- ligence and poise in the moment. OVERALL GRADE ★★★★ One of the easiest ways to mitigate issues in the passing game is to have an elite quar- terback. If you can surround such a player with reliable targets who can present one viable target on any given play, the quarter- back will find him. By adding senior transfers Devonte Ross, Kyron Hudson and Trebor Peña, Penn State has tried to build that core of functional passing game targets around Allar. The mix of ingredients could be the combination the team needs to have an elite attack despite lacking one obvious target at receiver. That is, if Allar takes his star turn. He has worked to improve every function and facet of his game during his three years in Happy Valley. He's improved as an athlete, a vocal leader and a passer. Despite that, there is an obvious final step for him to take this year. If he's to maximize his final season at Penn State, the goal is excellence. He passed up a realistic chance at becoming a first-round draft pick this spring in the hope of getting even better at the college level. The Lions are hoping the conditions are right for Allar to show that improvement. Ethan Grunkemeyer saw the first snaps of his college career in the second half of Penn State's College Football Playoff opener against SMU. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS BY THE NUMBERS 2 FBS quarterbacks since 1956 who have thrown more than 800 passes and 50 touchdown passes while tossing 10 or fewer interceptions. Bryce Petty became the first while playing for Baylor from 2011-14, and Drew Allar has since joined him, with 843 attempts, 53 touch- down passes and 10 picks. 6 Number of times Ethan Grunke- meyer was named Developmental Squad Offensive Player of the Week last season. The then-freshman was saluted by PSU's coaching staff prior to the Bowl- ing Green, USC, Washington, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland games. +1400 Allar's odds of winning the Heisman Trophy, per the BetMGM online sportsbook. The third-year PSU starter is BetMGM's fifth- leading contender, trailing quarterbacks Arch Manning of Texas (+600), Garrett Nussmeier of LSU (+850) and Cade Klub- nik of Clemson (+1000) and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State (+1000).