Penn State Spring Practice Week 3 Update: Who's Penn State's QB2?

Penn State coach James Franklin said he expects Ethan Grunkemeyer and Jaxon Smolik to continue their quarterback competition for a while.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer throws a pass during 2024 Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

James Franklin has watched Penn State sports history in person twice this spring. Franklin attended the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, where the Nittany Lions wrestling team set a scoring record and won their fourth team title. A week later, the Penn State football coach was in Allentown, where the Nittany Lions hockey team qualified for its first Frozen Four.

"It's been kind of a special year from that standpoint, two big events that I was able to get to," Franklin said this week in State College. "Pretty cool to be able to support those programs."

In between, Franklin is overseeing spring practice, where the Penn State football team seeks to seed another College Football Playoff run. Franklin updated the team's progress during Week 3 of spring practice, hitting these highlights:

A competitive race for QB2

While Drew Allar enters Year 3 as Penn State's starting quarterback, Penn State is evaluating a new backup. Beau Pribula is at Missouri, leaving Ethan Grunkemeyer and Jaxon Smolik to compete for the No. 2 spot.

Grunkemeyer took over the role in the playoffs after Pribula transferred and Smolik worked back from a preseason injury. Smolik is healthy now and making progress in the offense. Franklin said that he, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien aren't close to make a QB2 decision.

"Both of them are playing really well, so we've got to continue to build on that," Franklin said.

Grunkemeyer is a unique talent from Ohio who trained with quarterbacks coach Brad Maendler, who also works with Allar, and took advantage of his backup role during the playoffs. But Smolik, a redshirt sophomore from Iowa, has answered plenty of questions so far about his post-injury status. Thus, Franklin said he expects the competition to continue.

"Jaxon has done a heck of a job," Franklin said. "We didn’t really know, coming off injury, where he would be, but both of them are doing really well. And that’s not coachspeak. 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. I thought Jaxon would come off the injury a little rusty. He has not been."

A linebacker gets healthy

Franklin called linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson a "big get for us" in the 2023 recruiting class. Robinson was a consensus 4-star prospect at Brashear High in Pittsburgh and a top-5 player in Pennsylvania. Though injuries impacted him the past few seasons, Robinson is making up for some lost time.

"Right now he’s trending in the direction we had hoped when we recruited him," Franklin said.

The redshirt sophomore did not play as a high school senior because of a knee injury and missed Penn State's spring drills in 2024. He returned to play 14 games last season, largely on special teams, and is making a case this spring to take Kobe King's spot as the starting middle linebacker.

Further, with fellow linebacker Tony Rojas unavailable this spring, Robinson has taken more reps across the position. Franklin called Robinson "healthy and confident."

"I've always felt that he has a very, very bright future," Franklin said. "He's had some injuries that have been setbacks for him, so [it's about] getting him back healthy and confident and playing fast. He’s really flashing right now. Obviously with Rojas being out, that’s more reps that he’s able to get.

"... As much as anything, it's his confidence in being able to just go out there and play and not think about the injuries he's had in the past."

The latest at defensive tackle

Here's a position where Penn State could peek into the transfer portal. The Nittany Lions return two experienced players in Zane Durant and Alonzo Ford Jr., though Ford continues to recover from the injury he sustained last November at Minnesota.

Penn State has untested depth at tackle, and Franklin noted several players who have taken steps this spring, including redshirt freshman Xavier Gilliam, redshirt sophomore Joseph Mupoyi, true freshman Randy Adirika and Michigan transfer Owen Wafle. But the Nittany Lions need at least one more consistent tackle to round out their rotation.

"A ton of guys will be battling," Franklin said. "It will be very, very competitive in my mind."

Penn State hosts the Blue-White Game on April 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Beaver Stadium.