The overarching question of Penn State football’s ongoing quarterback battle is if it really matters if it ends quickly or in the final days of camp. So amidst the ongoing clamor for some clarity on the issue, may as well ask the people who matter, take for instance the opinion of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, presented with the bit of trivia that James Franklin has really never named a non-incumbent starting quarterback earlier than late August.
Does it really make a difference?
“[Well] if you look at [James Franklin’s] history and the success that he’s had, that answers your question.” Yurcich said, a smile on his face.
As for Franklin himself, Sunday’s annual media day didn’t offer a ton of insight into how things are going. As per usual the conventional wisdom beyond what Franklin said is that Drew Allar will start – for a whole bunch of reasons – and that any positive things said about assumed backup quarterback Beau Pribula are equal parts truthful and also a small amount of fluff.
Nevertheless, the good news tucked into a paragraph of platitudes is that Franklin feels good about all three quarterbacks, a statement he hasn’t always hammered home in years past.
“Drew and Beau, they look like guys that are year two in the same system mentally. They look like guys year two physically. They both have gotten stronger. They have both gotten leaner. They have both gotten faster. They have gotten more confident with their reads, their accuracy, their decision-making, those types of things. So they have been impressive. They really have.” Franklin said on Sunday.
As for Penn State’s third quarterback, freshman Jaxon Smolik, there’s a degree of “things are going very well, or very bad” if he sees the field this season for one game, let alone the four he could before losing a year of eligibility. Even so that doesn’t mean Smolik can’t impress, make improvements or be an asset to the quarterback room as a whole.
“I’d say Smolik has been kind of the surprise at camp so far, specifically in the quarterback room,” Franklin added. “He’s one of those guys that although he is still learning the nuances of the position and the nuances of the offense in terms of in the meeting, when asked questions, he’s not where Drew and Beau are in terms of being able to answer questions in a meeting, but he’s just got a natural feel for the position on the field. You know, some guys, it’s almost like a point guard. You’ve just got to feel for depth and spacing on the field and how to find open receivers. He throws a really nice ball. So he’s doing well. If we can continue to build on this, I think we’ll feel good about where he’s at.”
But again, this isn’t about Smolik.
“But Beau and Drew, I think you guys will get a chance to see them obviously here at practices over the next couple weeks, and then the open practice will get you a bigger … they look like guys that are year two, more experienced guys, that are confident in how to execute and run the offense, and I think both of them have the team’s respect.”
“In terms of decisions, you know, we are not announcing or making any decisions at this point, really, at any position. It’s a competition, and we want to create competition at every position as long as possible, and I think it brings the best out in everyone. As you guys know, that’s really kind of how we have operated here for ten years.”
