Penn State officially signs quarterback Jaxon Smolik
Penn State has officially signed its quarterback in the Class of 2023 in Jaxon Smolik. The Des Moines, Iowa, native was announced by Penn State’s communications team at 8:32 a.m.
Smolik’s rise to becoming a Nittany Lion is one of the most intriguing stories of the class. After missing most of his junior season with a collarbone injury, the Dowling Catholic prospect held just a handful of Group Five offers.
He went on to commit to Tulane in June, but everything began to change for Smolik a few weeks later when he earned a late invitation to the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles. Despite having no time to prepare – he was invited the day before after Nico Iamaleava pulled out of the event – Smolik went on to earn top performer honors by multiple outlets, including On3.
Related: Penn State Football National Signing Day Central
It was around that same time that Marcus Stokes flipped his commitment from Penn State to Florida. Smolik immediately became one of Mike Yurcich’s top targets, but he had to earn it, flying out to State College in July for a camp. He would end up leaving town with an offer.
Additional offers came in for Smolik in the coming weeks, but he would eventually commit to the Nittany Lions on Aug. 12.
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“I’ve always liked Penn State. I’ve always watched them since Trace McSorley was there. He was one of my favorite college quarterbacks,” Smolik said, when asked why Penn State was the school for him.
“It was a great place when I went up there and toured. Everyone was super nice and I loved everything about it, between the coaches and all the staff. All the other recruits were super nice to me and the facilities were awesome as well. It’s a great fit for me.”
Smolik finished his senior season completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,967 yards. He threw for 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions, while also rushing for 136 yards and three scores.
He’s now set to enroll at Penn State in January.
