One of the biggest storylines of Penn State football’s 2023 training camp is which quarterback will succeed Sean Clifford.
Ok, it’s pretty obvious that celebrated five-star sophomore Drew Allar will be the guy based on logic, but nonetheless, fans are curious to see when coach James Franklin will make it official.
If Allar is as good as advertised or even close to it, Penn State will be in good hands at the game’s most important position through at least 2024.
But what will happen after that? Well, Penn State has QB commits from the ‘23 (three-star Jaxon Smilin) and ‘24 (four-star Ethan Grunkemeyer) respectively, but no commits from the ‘25 or ‘26 classes.
Noah Grubbs has a lot of time to decide where he wants to go to school.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder from Florida’s Lake Mary High School still has half of his high school career to play, but he’s shooting up the recruiting boards. He has offers from Charlotte, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, UAB, UCF, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and now Penn State.
#AGTG After a great camp and conversation with @Coach_Yurcich, I am extremely blessed and honored to have received another POWER 5 OFFER from the PENN STATE UNIVERSITY 🦁🔵⚪️ #WEARE #BTruQBTraining @baylintrujillo pic.twitter.com/gdmVOZPOKf
— Noah Grubbs ✞ (@NoahGrubbsQB) July 30, 2023
Grubbs got his offer via phone call from PSU’s offensive coordinator and QB coach, Mike Yurcich.
This came after the junior-to-be competed at Penn State’s fourth a final Elite Showcase of the summer this past Friday, July 28, in Happy Valley.
NSN caught up with Grubbs via Twitter direct message, and Grubbs said he’s been watching Penn State for quite some time.
“As a kid who loves college football,” Grubbs told NSN, “watching Penn State was something I loved, especially the White Out games. What I also like most about this offer is I believe I fit the mold of what style of quarterback they recruit. If you look at their history at the position, it almost fits my description perfectly.”
Since James Franklin became Penn State’s coach in 2014, Penn State’s starting quarterbacks— especially Trace McSorley— have primarily been guys capable of running when needed.
When asked how he’d describe himself as a QB, he said “freakish” or “dynamic” would be accurate descriptions.
“I can throw the ball from all different platforms,” he said.
Grubbs credited his QB trainer, Baylin Trujillo, and his high school offensive coordinator, Adam Donnelly, with developing him into the quarterback that he is now and hopes to be in the future.
“I am able to throw the ball accurately on the move and I can use my legs if I have to,” he said. “I really want to improve my ability to run more but I much rather go through my progressions and save my body.”
Grubbs told NSN that Trujillo has been in to with several Penn State coaches, including Yurcich, RB coach/assistant OC JaJuan Seider, assistant QB coach Danny O’Brien.
Trujillo told Grubbs that, based off his communication with Penn State, Grubbs had a solid chance of landing an offer if he performed well over the weekend.
Grubbs feels he did well, and Penn State agreed.
“I honestly feel like I performed in the top 3 out of the 600 who camped that day,” Grubbs said. “I felt real comfortable and the coaches really motivated after throwing several compliments my way after good throws. I am a very confident player but when coaches at the highest level and complimenting me, it naturally pushes me to a higher standard. Then I feel like I’m just competing with myself.
Grubbs said he plans on talking with Yurcich “at least once every couple of weeks throughout the season” and plans on going to Beaver Stadium for a game “if I have time in my schedule.”
Grubbs described Penn State as a “powerhouse program with nice facilities and great coaching.”
“Building young men on and off the field to be successful in life,” Grubbs said. “That’s very important to me. Penn State is one of those schools that kids dream of playing for.”
