Beau Pribula is gone, and Penn State now has a quarterback problem on its hands.
Drew Allar will obviously remain the starter in the team’s first-round College Football Playoff matchup with SMU on Saturday. But the depth behind him is under question. Who will be Allar’s backup and what does the rest of the quarterback depth chart look like?
Ethan Grunkemeyer, officially, will assume Pribula’s former role as the Nittany Lions’ backup quarterback. James Franklin made that announcement after practice on Wednesday, when he also stated that prospective third-string Jaxon Smolik, who has been rehabbing from an offseason injury, has not been “cleared medically” to play against the Mustangs.
With Pribula in the transfer portal and Smolik ruled inactive for Saturday, it’s unclear who exactly will be the emergency No. 3 quarterback behind Allar and Grunkemeyer.
“We don’t have a third option right now,” Franklin said.
There are realistically two choices. The first is walk-on Jack Lambert, a redshirt freshman from Hampstead, North Carolina, who was twice named the program’s developmental squad offensive player of the week last season. The fact remains: Neither Grunkemeyer nor Lambert has taken a snap at the collegiate level.
The second option, which is likely more fun and potentially more realistic, is tight end Tyler Warren, the only player other than Allar on the current roster who has attempted a pass this season. Warren, a former three-star quarterback who was originally committed to play the position at Virginia Tech, has completed three of five pass attempts for 35 yards and a touchdown in 2024.
Warren has also taken 23 carries for 191 yards and four scores this season, and has received quarterback snaps out of the Wildcat formation since his redshirt freshman year in 2021.
Franklin was asked on Wednesday if he would consider giving Warren quarterback reps in an emergency situation. He declined to answer.
“Our strategy and what we would do in this game, saying it now so they can start preparing for it during the week, I don’t think it makes a whole lot of sense,” Franklin said.
On Monday, before Smolik was ruled medically ineligible, Franklin said both he and Grunkemeyer would be “part of the equation, part of the discussion” when it came to appointing Allar’s backup. While Smolik has been “cleared for practice” and was present during Wednesday’s practice viewing session, he will not be able to play. At least for this week.
That puts added pressure on Allar to stay healthy over a stretch that could last four games from the first round on Saturday to the national championship on Jan. 20. It also puts weight on Grunkemeyer, if his name is ultimately called, to execute in not just any game, but a playoff game with win-or-go-home implications.
As of Monday, Franklin said Grunkemeyer had taken roughly 350 practice reps across his true freshman season. With Smolik banged up, that put him third behind Allar and Pribula. It’s likely Grunkemeyer’s rep count has increased exponentially in the days following Pribula’s departure.
“Grunk’s done a really good job and has put himself in a position that we have a lot of confidence in him,” Franklin said. “He’s getting a ton of reps this week.”
