James Franklin: ‘Healthy competition’ brewing between Drew Allar, Beau Pribula

Drew Allar put forth a strong first year as the starter, throwing for 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns with only two interceptions. But Beau Pribula provided a valuable spark for the Penn State offense in 2023, throwing for 149 yards and four touchdowns while rushing 329 yards with six scores.

Both quarterbacks will play vital roles for Penn State football in 2024

The remarks from James Franklin this week build upon comments from earlier in the spring regarding the transition of both quarterbacks under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

“I think he’s ready to take the next step,” Franklin said of Drew Allar. “I think he’s excited about some of the things that we’re doing. He’s had a great offseason. He’s moving better. He looks better. He looks leaner. His weight is still very similar, but I think he’s changed kind of his body composition in a lot of ways.

“Then I think obviously, just like we did last year, I think we’ve got a ton of respect in our program for Beau Pribula as well and what he’s going to be able to do not only to make our offense more difficult to defend, but also to be a complementary piece and a competitive piece with Drew.”

For his part, Andy Kotelnicki has already gone on the record that he sees a role for Pribula in the Nittany Lions offense. “Any players that can help us win games on offense, we’ll find a way to use them,” he said last week.

We likely won’t see too much variety from Kotelnicki in next month’s spring game, especially when it comes to quarterback usage. But known for getting creative in the backfield while calling plays at Kansas, expect to see both Allar and Pribula have critical roles for Penn State this fall.