Penn State Has Its Answer at Backup Quarterback

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Following the announcement earlier in the week that No. 4 Penn State’s backup quarterback Beau Pribula would no longer be with the program and entering the Transfer Portal, questions were swirling about who the backup would be. Now, Nittany Lions fans have their answer.

Freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, a former four-star recruit, and the No. 8-rated quarterback in the country in the class of 2024 will be Drew Allar’s backup. Whether or not he will be running the “gadget package” that offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki uses is yet to be seen, and fans will not know the answer to that question until noon on on Dec. 21 against the No. 10 SMU Mustangs. 

Transfer Portal Debates

Pribula leaving the program and entering the portal has sparked the conversation, is the transfer portal what’s best for college football? Certainly, there has been more parody than ever in college football since the portal's inception. However, the most recent example of Pribula transferring out because the Spring semester will be starting soon and if Penn State’s going on a serious run it made sense for him to leave.

Pribula likely made his decision because Allar is coming back for his senior season. The York, Penn. native stated that “growing up a Penn State fan he doesn’t want to leave State College.” Unfortunately, the decision to leave the program is ultimately what is best for Pribula, of course, since it might be a lifelong dream for the Pennsylvania native to play in a College Football Playoff game in Beaver Stadium. 

Still a Game to be Played

Regardless of Pribula transferring out, Penn State still has a game on Saturday against the Mustangs. While there is never a good time for a player to announce that he’s transferring out of a program, it happening the week before a College Football Playoff game is not ideal for any team.

Head coach James Fraklin answered questions on Dec. 16 and said that “he would typically like to keep his focus on SMU, but he understands the questions about Pribula.” This of course was before Franklin unleashed an epic rant on the NCAA. Moving forward, Franklin wanted all questions later in the week to be focused on SMU and not on the portal situation.