One thing that’s clear for Penn State coach James Franklin is Drew Allar is his starting quarterback.
What isn’t clear is who is his backup. Is it redshirt sophomore Jaxson Smolik or redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer?
If you ask Franklin, the race for backing up Allar is too close to call.
“That one in the spring was really tightly contested,” Franklin said at Local Media Day last Saturday. “I thought Jaxon would be rusty coming back but he wasn’t. He had a great spring. This thing is, I think, going to go right down to the wire.”
“Depending, if it finishes up like it did in the spring, it could continue throughout the entire year. If it’s close, if there’s a gap, there’s a gap. If it’s close, I think the competition could go throughout the year, whoever has the best week that week is going to be the backup quarterback type of deal, just based on how close it was this spring.”
Jaxon Smolik evades the pocket and looks to throw on the run.
Two notable backups situations that didn’t work out well for Franklin involved Will Levis and Beau Pribula.
When it became clear that Sean Clifford was Franklin’s starter, Levis transferred to Kentucky.
Franklin had committed one of his biggest roster management mistakes at Penn State of not having a backup.
That error came to roost against Iowa in a Top 4 matchup where Clifford was injured.
Backup Ta’Quan Roberson looked lost and Iowa rallied back to beat Penn State.
In regard to Pribula, when it became apparent Allar was coming back another year coupled with Pribula running out of eligibility, it forced his hand to transfer.
Per Pribula, Franklin assisted in reaching out to coaches and did all he could to aid in finding him a home in exchange for committing to a playoff run. The issue both faced is with the portal window closing along with academic enrollment windows, Pribula was not allowed to be on the Penn State’s roster when he transferred out and forced the decision to Missouri.
While it is hard to knock Franklin here, it can be argued that without Pribula, Penn State was missing a dimension for opposing teams to prepare against.
Ethan Grunkemeyer during 2025 Blue-White Game
Throughout last year, Pribula was a great change of pace quarterback, whether it was the gadget play against USC, various scrambles that got first downs, or his signature performance in relief of an injured Allar against Wisconsin, not having that did impact Penn State’s strategy during its Playoff run.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Quarterback coach Danny O’Brien recognizes the importance of the backup quarterback job, as well as recognizes both Smolik and Grunkemeyer possess impressive strengths that are making this a very close competition.
“They have a lot of shared strengths,” O’Brien said. “One thing they have in common is they’re both elite preparers and high-IQ guys. Grunk sees windows very quickly, and Jaxon has that midwestern grit. There’s more overlap than differences.”
As one of the combatants, Grunkemeyer still sees the big picture for the overall room, along with the personal gains from the competition.
“We have a lot of talented guys in our quarterback room, and the competition has helped everybody’s game,” Grunkemeyer said. “Me and Jaxon sit together all the time and help each other in any way if there’s something we see.”
With Smolik and Grunkemeyer making Franklin’s decision difficult to name an official backup, what will help aid in his decision is the three tune-up games prior to the annual “White Out” against Oregon September 27 that could distinguish one of them.
Franklin has alluded that the competition isn’t one he is rushing for a result because it is a “really important competition,” saying “if it’s close all season, it could go into next year in terms of how this thing plays out.”
What is even more important is the next chess move Franklin makes.
So far, Franklin is right in his approach of allowing this competition to play out and get as much data as possible to make the best decision possible.
The issue for Franklin’s move is if he waits too long or is indecisive of selecting a backup quarterback.
With Allar exhausting his eligibility this year, identifying a clear heir apparent, giving Smolik or Grunkemeyer as much experience in live game action is critical to reloading the position in 2026.
The experience each has is limited, coming off an injury Smolik had a more impressive Blue-White game than Grunkemeyer.
Grunkemeyer, on the other hand, has live College Football Playoff experience – completing a pass (two attempts) for nine yards and an interception.
When a decision is finally made by Franklin between Smolik and Grunkemeyer, there is a great chance a “business decision” will be made to enter the transfer portal that one becomes a starter somewhere else.
That is modern college football today.
The process Franklin employs between now and when he does make a decision will be under a microscope.
The conundrum he faces has major ramifications of not just picking the right one but also when a selection is made.
The axiom, if you have two quarterbacks you have no quarterbacks, comes into play here and Franklin knows this.
The worst thing Franklin can do is go into 2026 not knowing if he has a quarterback or not, especially having the ability to leverage the portal if Smolik or Grunkemeyer do not distinguish themselves.
