James Franklin feels urgency but 'not going to rush' a decision on Penn State's starting quarterback

Penn State and head coach James Franklin are eyeing big goals in 2023. The Nittany Lions have a loaded roster and are a trendy pick to win the Big Ten East and make the College Football Playoff.

But there’s one big question remaining: Who will be the starting quarterback? Franklin and Co. are likely picking between two relatively unknown quantities in Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. While many expect that Allar will ascend into the starting role, it doesn’t seem a decision has been made yet.

A 2023 Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, Franklin said he’s hoping to make a call on the starting quarterback sooner, rather than later.

“Obviously the sooner the better. But we’re not going to rush any of these decisions at any of these positions. We grade everything and every practice, so all the data will be there. Obviously you’re going to trust your gut and 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,” Franklin said.

Franklin said that while there are a number of other position battles Penn State is trying to sort out — like who will form the top receiver grouping — the quarterback choice is magnified by the way it impacts the whole team and the lack of rotation at the position.

The goal is to pick a guy and have him be the guy without any seeds of doubt.

“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’ll be, obviously, watching how they move the offense,” Franklin said, “the confidence that their teammates have in them and then obviously a lot of the data and analytics go into it as well to make sure that what your gut is telling you aligns with what the numbers say.”

Another Big Ten coach thinks Penn State will go as Allar goes

One anonymous Big Ten coach even told Athlon magazine that all of Penn State’s success in 2023 is going to be about Allar.

“It’s really all about [QB Drew] Allar. If he’s as good as everyone thinks, this is their window to get past Michigan and Ohio State. He’s the difference between another top-end season and the breakthrough they’ve wanted under [James] Franklin.”

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“If they’re weak somewhere, it’s replacing [Joey] Porter [Jr.] and [Ji’Ayir] Brown in the secondary because those guys are top-end NFL dudes. But [DC Manny] Diaz is so good when you have something for him to work with.”

Drew Allar was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He was also the 28th-ranked player nationally and the third-ranked quarterback in the class. He backed up Clifford in 2022 while many people expect him to be how Penn State goes from good to great in 2023.