James Franklin provides latest update on Penn State QB after return from injury

Modified Apr 10, 2025 17:12 GMT

Syndication: Hanover Evening Sun - Source: Imagn

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar is returning to Happy Valley for his senior year, and there is no debate that he is going to be the starting QB again.

However, there can be a debate over who will be the Nittany Lions' backup quarterback for what could be a successful 2025 season. One of the contenders for this role is Jaxon Smolik.

On Wednesday, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin gave an update on the status of Smolik.

"Yeah, Jaxon has done a heck of a job," Franklin said. "We didn’t really know, coming off injury, where he would be. thought Jaxon would come off the injury a little rusty. He has not been.”

Smolik came into the 2024 season as the third-string quarterback, behind Beau Pribula. However, due to an undisclosed injury, Smolik missed the entire season.

He did not miss out on much playing time, as Allar played most of the snaps in a season where the Nittany Lions made their way to the College Football Playoff semi finals.

Smolik has barely played during his time with Penn State, with an early season apperance against the Delware Blue Hens being the only time that he has taken a snap.

This could change in 2025. Due to Allar returning, Pribula entered the transfer portal and is now with the Missouri Tigers. This leaves an opening in the backup quarterback position, one that a recovering Jaxon Smolik could fill.

James Franklin on the Penn State backup quarterback battle

However, in order to get this role, Jaxon Smolik will have to win the quarterback battle. His closest rival is Ethan Grunkemeyer.

Grukemeyer played his freshman year in 2024 and served as the third string quarterback for the Nittany Lions. Then, after Pribula entered the transfer portal,he was promoted to the backup quarterback role. He would then make two snaps in the Nittany Lions blowout CFP win against SMU, where he threw for nine yards.

On the battle between the two players (Smolik and Grukemeyer), James Franklin said the following:

"Both of them are doing really well, um, and that’s not, that’s not coach speak, you know. They’re both doing very, very well so I think this is going to be a competition that’s going to go on for a while.”

If Allar gets injured, the fate of the program will be on them. James Franklin has to decide which player will that be.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Krutik Jain