Examining Penn State’s QB Depth Chart Entering the College Football Playoff, 2025 Season
Penn State Football got two surprises in the quarterback room this week.
Starting quarterback Drew Allar announced his intention to return for a fourth season at Penn State and backup quarterback Beau Pribula revealed his intention to enter the transfer portal and leave the team before the College Football Playoff.
These decisions have major impacts both for Penn State’s 2024 team and the College Football Playoff, as well as the 2025 season moving forward for the Nittany Lions.
Breaking Down Penn State Football’s 2025 Quarterback Depth Chart
Starting quarterback Drew Allar
It is no surprise that Drew Allar is firmly entrenched as Penn State’s starting quarterback after leading the Nittany Lions to a 21-5 record and the first College Football Playoff berth in program history.
Allar has thrown for 5,869 yards and 50 touchdowns in his three-year career at Penn State, starting all 13 games in each of the past two seasons. Allar already holds the Penn State career record for completion percentage and will have the opportunity to climb up the record books in every other category with another year of starting experience at Penn State.
Allar’s return is massive for the Nittany Lions’ College Football Playoff and national title aspirations in 2024, and 2025 as well.
The Nittany Lions will look to reload the roster at key positions through the transfer portal this offseason to add weapons for Allar in the passing game and pieces at thin positions on defense ahead of another hopeful playoff and Big Ten championship run.
Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer
With Beau Pribula entering the transfer portal and leaving the Nittany Lions before Penn State’s first-round playoff game, true freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer is expected to be elevated to the role of backup quarterback as Penn State faces off against SMU in the first round of the college football playoff this weekend.
A four-star recruit in the 2024 class, Grunkemeyer ranked 105 overall in the class of 2024 and ranked as the seventh quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Grunkemeyer operated as Penn State’s quarterback three this season, behind both Allar and Pribula, after a “long term” offseason injury to third-string quarterback Jaxon Smolik held him out for most of the season.
Grunkemeyer did not see a live snap this season behind Allar and Pribula, although head coach James Franklin noted during his weekly press conference Monday that Grunkemeyer has seen “around 350” snaps in practice.
Saturday, Grunkemeyer could be one play away from taking his first collegiate snap in the college football playoff if Drew Allar is injured. This week, Franklin said that both Grunkemeyer and Smolik will “be part of the equation, part of the discussion” to replace Beau Pribula on the depth chart, however, with Smolik only being cleared medically to return for about a week according to Franklin, I would expect Grunkemeyer to hold on to the backup role.
With Smolik’s injury this season, Grunkemeyer has had plenty of opportunities in practice to impress the staff to try to hold onto the backup quarterback job in 2025.
In November, James Franklin said Grunkemeyer had “really turned it on here recently.” With Grunkemeyer’s rise this season, and Smolik’s injury limiting his progression this season, I have Grunkemeyer with the edge to hold onto the backup quarterback position heading into 2025.
QB3 Jaxon Smolik
Former three-star quarterback Jaxon Smolik missed most of the 2024 season with what Franklin called a “long-term” injury.
Franklin, however, noted that Smolik is now cleared medically to return to full action for about a week now. Smolik ranked 733 overall and as the 36th quarterback in the 2023 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Smolik appeared in only one game in relief of Beau Pribula in 2023, but did not record any stats through two seasons with the Nittany Lions. Smolik’s injury held him out of practice for most of the 2024 season, returning in November to limited practice before being cleared about a week ago to return to full action. The question is whether Smolik’s injury and missed time on the practice field was too much for him to jump Ethan Grunkemeyer on the depth chart for 2025 or whether he can get back to form during spring ball and retake the backup position for next season.
I would expect a battle between Grunkemeyer and Smolik this offseason and through the fall for the position to back up Drew Allar.
QB4 Bekham Kritza
After signing with Penn State Football earlier this month, Bekham Kritza will not be on Penn State’s roster for the team’s college football playoff run, however, he will be enrolling early in January to get a head start on learning Penn State’s offense ahead of the 2025 season.
After transferring multiple times in high school, Kritza could use a steady presence in Penn State’s offense after enrolling on campus. Penn State’s director of player personnel, Kenny Sanders, said on signing day “I think I told somebody once, he might have the best raw arm talent I’ve ever seen coming out of high school.” Sanders continued that Kritza is a “unpolished gem.”
Except in a disaster to quarterback depth, Kritza will not factor into Penn State’s plans at quarterback in 2025. Instead, Penn State sees Kritza as a developmental piece for a few years down the line.
Potential for experienced transfer?
With four quarterbacks on the roster and only one that has thrown a pass in a collegiate game, Penn State could look to the transfer portal for an experienced backup Quarterback behind Drew Allar.
This may be hard to come by with an entrenched starter that expects to be one of the top quarterbacks returning for the 2025 season and for the 2026 NFL draft.
Penn State could spend NIL to convince and experienced quarterback to backup Drew Allar next season.
However, with other more pressing needs at the position, Penn State could opt to spend in the portal and roll the dice that Allar stays healthy next season and Grunkemeyer or Smolik develop during blowouts in an easy early season nonconference slate.
Penn State is set at the starting position for next season as Drew Allar returns for one more season before heading off to the NFL draft.
Behind Allar though, Penn State is very inexperienced and will need to rely on at least one of the backup quarterbacks on the roster developing this offseason to feel comfortable going into next season with only Drew Allar with a collegiate stat.
More Penn State Football News from NittanyCentral
- Penn State Linked to ‘Ideal Fit’ Transfer Portal WR With Past Ties to Nittany Lions
- Penn State Gets Top Transfer Portal Targets On Campus
- How Far Penn State Must Advance in College Football Playoff for 2024 to be a ‘Success’
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