Blue White Illustrated

November 2025

Penn State Sports Magazine

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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State finds itself in an interest- ing position when it comes to its recruitment of quarterbacks in the 2027 class. While the Nittany Lions' coaching change has created a lot of upheaval, as it stands now, PSU is looking at the pos- sibility of a quarterback battle between current redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smo- lik and redshirt freshman Ethan Grunke- meyer. However, in the transfer portal era, that's not a given. Grunkemeyer has taken over as starter after senior Drew Allar suf- fered an injury against Northwestern that brought a premature end to his college career. If Grunkemeyer does well in what amounts to an audition for the starting job in 2026, Smolik might choose to move on. It would hardly be unprecedented; the Lions have lost a quarterback three of the past four years. Adding to the team's concerns, cur- rent freshman Bekkem Kritza was listed as "out" on Penn State's weekly avail- ability chart through the first six games of the season. The fact that Kritza hasn't been gaining much experience, even on the scout team, is worrisome in the long term for his development. More than any young quarterback the Lions have re- cruited in recent years, Kritza needs reps. Those factors help explain why Penn State has tried to add a second quarter- back to its 2026 class. Back in April, it ap- peared that PSU wouldn't have difficulty doing so. The Lions had just received a commitment from four-star prospect Peyton Falzone of Nazareth, Pa., adding him to a class that already included three- star signal-caller Troy Huhn of San Diego. But then Falzone flipped his commit- ment to Auburn in June, seemingly out of nowhere. He had visited Penn State five times in a two-month span, making his change of heart very surprising. That left Huhn as the only quarter- back in Penn State's 2026 class. After this year's White Out game against Oregon on Sept. 27, it became clear that Penn State wasn't done recruiting players in the current cycle. Aside from Huhn, there weren't any 2026 quarterback recruits in attendance that night, but the Nittany Lions did host seven players who were committed elsewhere. If they can add tal- ent down the stretch, they will. At quarterback, that will likely require a late flip. Coaching changes — or even just the threat of changes — sometimes prompt committed players to re-examine their options. Penn State still has inter- est in Falzone, and Auburn's rocky start could present just such an opportunity. Of course, PSU has its own coaching vacancy to fill, so while the Lions would still like to make an addition, it won't be easy. Looking beyond the current cycle, there are questions surrounding the 2027 quar- terback class as well. Of the six signal- callers the staff has offered so far, five have committed elsewhere. That includes four-star prospect Keegan Croucher of Cheshire (Conn.) Academy. Croucher was believed to be Penn State's most realistic option in 2027 until he committed to Ole Miss on Oct. 5. The Nittany Lions won't let up on Croucher, or Michigan commit Peter Bourque, who quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien went to watch play during PSU's first bye week in September. But they haven't been aggressively offering many 2027 quarterbacks either, which is a bit of a change from past years. Here are the names to know in the 2027 class: Elijah Haven 6-4 | 220 | Baton Rouge, La. Just like Penn State's staff did with PSU's Top QB Options In The 2027 Class RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Penn State is eager to welcome Lonnie Andrews III to campus for its game against Indiana on Nov. 8. The four-star quar- terback led Oscar Smith High to a Virginia state 6A championship as a sophomore. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER

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