The hype train has been rolling all offseason for Penn State being a legitimate College Football Playoff contender, and the quarterback position has been just one of the reasons why. With [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] settling in for his sophomore season after being the top backup to the experienced Sean Clifford last season, the expectations are high for Allar as Penn State’s starting quarterback this fall.
I know Drew Allar is going to be Penn State’s starting quarterback this season. So do you. We all know Allar is going to be Penn State’s starting quarterback this season.
Of course, the one person who ultimately confirms that decision is Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag], and he’s standing by the idea there is an actual competition ongoing for the starting job at quarterback between Allar and [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag].
“Just to be clear, we’ve had one every year,” Franklin said when asked about the quarterback position at Big Ten football media day in Indianapolis. “Every year.”
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Franklin has always verbally suggested there is competition for every job, even when there is little doubt who will ultimately get the starting nod. This has been Frnaklin’s coaching strategy to promote competition throughout the roster in an attempt to increase the competitive spirit at every spot on the roster.
So whether you believe him or not, Franklin will stand by the idea there is a competition for the starting quarterback job this fall between Allar and Pribula, one he has stood by since the spring. But, Franklin did say the sooner a decision is made, the better off everyone may be.
“I think at any of these positions the sooner the better,” Franklin continued. “It’s probably magnified at the quarterback position because you don’t rotate and play the same type of way that you do at some other positions, but it will be obviously watching how they move the offense, the confidence that their teammates have in them, and then obviously a lot of the data and analytics that go in it as well to make sure that what your gut is telling you aligns with what the numbers say.”
Playing backup to Clifford last season, Allar appeared in 10 games and completed 35-of-60 pass attempts for 344 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Pribula redshirted last season and did not appear in a game. Both quarterbacks saw a good amount of playing time in the Blue-White Game in the spring. Franklin suggested in the spring that he and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich were working on finding ways to have both players contribute, with Pribula likely to be used in ways Allar will not.
But make absolutely no mistake about this. As long as he is healthy, there is no reason not to expect Allar being Penn State’s main and starting quarterback this fall, no matter what Franklin will have to say publicly about it.
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