James Franklin updates QB situation at Penn State, shares expectations for starter

James Franklin was quick to point out the competition at quarterback, and how it would carry on throughout camp even though Drew Allar is widely expected to ultimately win the job.

“We’re still in a competition phase, obviously there’s a lot of people talking about Drew, and what he brings to the table,” Franklin said Wednesday in Indianapolis at B1G Media Days. “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.”

However, Beau Pribula is someone that everyone in the program has a lot of respect for, Franklin said.

Franklin shared what he’s looking for, and the timeline, to make the decision on a starter. How a QB moves the offense, confidence teammates have in them and analytics that align with your gut.

“Obviously the sooner the better, but we’re not going to rush any of these decisions,” Franklin said. “At any of these positions. We grade everything in every practice, so all the data will be there. Obviously you’re going to trust your gut, your instincts on those things as well, but you have the data to back it up. But I think at any of these positions the sooner the better. 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.”

Keith Farner

Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.