College Football

Does Penn State actually have a QB competition?

Updated Jul. 26, 2023 5:16 p.m. ET

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For the first time since 2018, Sean Clifford won't be under center for Penn State to begin the college football season. So who will be?

At Big Ten media day on Wednesday, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin said that Drew Allar and Beau Pribula are battling for the starting spot heading into the upcoming season.

"We're still in a competition phase [at quarterback]," Franklin said. "Obviously there's a lot of people talking about Drew and what he brings to the table. He was able to get a ton of experience last year, played in, I think, 10 games.

"So I understand why the excitement is there, 6-foot-5, 242 pounds, can make all the throws, but Beau Pribula is a guy that everybody in the program has a ton of respect for as well. So that's going to be an interesting competition throughout the entire camp."

Allar was a 5-star recruit who committed to Penn State in 2021. He appeared in 10 games behind Clifford as a freshman last season. Across those 10 appearances, Allar totaled 344 passing yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 128.5 passer rating, completing 58.3% of his passes (35-of-60 on passing attempts).

Pribula committed to Penn State in 2020 but has yet to appear in a game.

Franklin detailed what he's paying attention to with his quarterbacks.

"I think at any of these positions the sooner the better [on naming starters]. 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 conference 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," Franklin said.

Whichever quarterback gets the starting nod will be complemented by an elite running back duo in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who ran for a combined 1,928 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2022. Singleton and Allen are each entering their sophomore seasons.

Will Penn State's success improve the Big Ten next season?

The Nittany Lions averaged 252.5 passing yards (fourth in Big Ten), 181.1 rushing yards (fourth), 433.6 total yards (third) and 35.8 points (third) per game last season. On the whole, Penn State went 11-2 (7-2 in Big Ten play), culminating in a win over Utah in the Rose Bowl. Their only two losses came to Big Ten East rivals Michigan and Ohio State, who both made the 2023 College Football Playoff.

Penn State opens the 2023 season at home against West Virginia on Sept. 2, with its Big Ten opener coming on the road against Illinois on Sept. 16, which will air on FOX.

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