Easily considered by most to be the most important position in college football, the quarterback is the captain of the offense and could be a coach on the field. Therefore, it is also the position that makes or breaks most games. That makes it fitting to have this year’s final Penn State Position Preview be the Penn State 2024 Quarterbacks Preview.
Penn State has a very talented signal caller entering his second season as the Nittany Lions starter. Additionally, there is an exciting backup with a different skillset and untapped potential. However, a Spring injury will likely force a highly regarded freshman into the third-string position. New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will be in charge of bringing them together and continuing their development.
Penn State 2024 Quarterbacks Position Preview: Bringing it All Together
Bringing it all together for Penn State’s 2024 quarterbacks is the key to enabling the offense’s success. The group is relatively young but very talented. The Penn State offense boasts one of the nation’s most talented running back rooms. The quarterback will also be throwing to a questionable group at wide receiver, and a talented tight end. Blocking up front by what should be a strong offensive line will be an enabler for the quarterback. Consequently, the quarterback will lead those position units and bring them all together.
Penn State’s Past Quarterback Standouts
Penn State’s quarterbacks have been hit or miss throughout the program’s history. However, some of the most notable Penn State football alumni are quarterbacks. They include Todd Blackledge, Michael Robinson, and Kerry Collins. Blackledge led the team to the National Championship in 1982 and won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback. John Shaffer was the quarterback for the 1986 National Championship team.
In more recent history, Penn State has produced quarterbacks that have gone on to the professional level, primarily in a backup capacity. The Baltimore Ravens drafted Trace McSorley in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. Similarly, Sean Clifford was a 5th-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2023.
Performance of the Quarterbacks in 2023
In 2023, first-year starter Drew Allar took the majority of snaps at the quarterback position. Allar threw for 2,631 yards on the season, ranking #54 in FBS. His ratio of 25 touchdowns to only two interceptions (23 to one excluding the bowl game) was impressive for a first-year Big Ten starter. His completion percentage was serviceable but not great at 59.9% and he averaged 179 yards per game. Other than Allar, Beau Pribula was the only other quarterback to throw a pass. Appearing in 11 games, he completed 11 of 21 pass attempts for 149 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions on the season.
The Penn State quarterbacks also brought an extra dimension to the offense, through running the football. While Allar would not be described as a dual-threat quarterback, he did rush for 210 yards on 74 attempts with four touchdowns. Pribula proved to be more nimble. He finished the season with 329 yards on 56 carries with six touchdowns.
Bringing it All Together in 2024
With a new coordinator running the offense, as a preview of Penn State 2024 quarterbacks, they will be charged with bringing it all together. At Kansas, Kotelnicki’s offense had a strong running game. Similarly, Penn State’s run game will be strong with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. That should open up ample opportunities for the quarterbacks to show off their arm strength and distribute the ball to the wide receivers and tight ends.
Allar is the undisputed starter (as previously covered when analyzing Allar heading into 2024). In 2023, he performed well against lesser competition. Allar morphed into more of a game manager against the higher-level competition in the Big Ten. This can be a driver of only throwing two interceptions. In 2024, his junior season, Allar will need to show the confidence and ability to make big-time throws against big-time opponents. A successful year for him would likely include more interceptions. His performance against defenses like Ohio State and Wisconsin, as well as Big Ten newcomer USC, will likely define his season in 2024. In taking more chances, his yardage, his touchdowns, and his national profile should also increase as well.
Pribula should not get too comfortable on the sideline. Kotelnicki will likely get creative with packages for Pribula to show off his skills. As evidenced by the 2023 statistics, Pribula is more of a dual-threat weapon that can run the ball as well as pass. He will likely be looking for opportunities to show that he can throw the ball as a redshirt sophomore.
Completing the depth chart for the quarterbacks is likely going be true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer. As an early enrollee from the Spring, he is not likely to see the field much. Grunkemeyer will be third on the depth chart due to a Spring injury to sophomore Jaxon Smolik.
The Bottom Line
The 2024 Penn State quarterback position should be a position of strength overall. As the quarterbacks, and Allar specifically, go so will the Penn State offense. Coming off a solid statistical 2023 campaign, Allar will be looking to take the next step. Success could mean Heisman consideration for him, and potentially National Championship aspirations for Penn State.
Pribula will be a weapon for the offense, with the intention being as a backup and change-of-pace running style quarterback. His ability to be successful in that role will give Allar some additional momentum (and rest) as well.
The offense will be contingent on the quarterback’s ability to manage the game. Luckily, there are a good number of weapons on the offense. Be it the running backs or the tight ends, there are All-Big Ten-worthy contenders there. At wide receiver, there are question marks but it will be a task of the quarterback to integrate them as well.
The good quarterbacks are known as coaches on the field. Working together with the quarterback will be Kotelnicki. In his first year at Penn State, there are a lot of weapons and his success in his new role will be dependent on the quarterback’s ability to bring it all together.
