Redshirt freshman quarterback Christian Veilleuxplans to transfer out of the Penn State football program following two seasons, he announced Tuesday. That decision, which occurred three months after freshman Drew Allar supplanted him as backup to sixth-year senior Sean Clifford, leaves the Nittany Lions with three scholarship QBs moving forward.
No. 8 Penn State will lose another quarterback after Clifford makes his 46th and final career start in a yet-to-be-determined postseason bowl matchup. That leaves Allar and fellow freshman Beau Pribula as the only holdovers from this 2022 Nittany Lions roster.
"Drew has come a long way since spring. ... Beau has done some really good things," Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said in mid-October upon his latest media session.
Although each arrived in Happy Valley last winter as January enrollees, their respective first-year paths have been quite different.
Allartransitionedfrom Medina (Ohio) High School among the most highly regarded recruits of thisJames Franklin era, evaluated by 247Sports as the 2022 class' top overall QB and standing 6-foot-5, 220-plus pounds (he's now nearly 240). He surpassed Veilleux, who saw game action in 2021, as QB2 during preseason camp, attempted his first career pass by the third quarter of Game 1, and ultimately entered nine contests, completing 35-of-59 throws (59.3 percent) for 344 yards with five total touchdowns and no turnovers.
"It's very valuable for Drew," Clifford said of that work in November. "Him being able to take those reps, and excel, and make mistakes, and make plays, it's great. ... Because it's much different, obviously, from practice, just being able to weigh the highs and lows."
Pribula, meanwhile, stuck to the practice field throughout this regular season. While Veilleux checked into three matchups as a third-string option, totaling nine pass attempts, the freshman filled the role of QB4 and contributed as a scout-team passer to prepare defenders for gamedays. Still, he gained a full year of full-time focus on the position, including 15 spring practice sessions and five travel experiences for Penn State road games.
"Beau has bought into the program," Nittany Lions captain and safety Ji'Ayir Brown said earlier this year. "I think Sean is helping him a lot, as far as his reads and him being a more vocal guy on the field. He's carried that chip on his shoulder as well."
Unlike Allar, Pribula did not carry blue-chip distinction as a prospect (he was a composite three-star) despite producing dominant back-to-back campaigns at Central York (Pa.) High School. He did not pick up an invitation to the Elite 11, an annual QB showcase near Los Angeles where Allar snagged some spotlight in Summer 2021. He did not finish his prep career in a nationally televised showcase, while Allardrew accolades last winter forhis All-American Bowl week performance.
Approximately five months after Pribula pledged to Penn State, Franklin made a major move in replacing offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca with Yurcich. That change was swiftly followed by new quarterback offers in the 2022 cycle, leading to a commitment from Allar, who ascended to the top spot in positional rankings and, ultimately, to the status of Clifford's heir apparent.
"He never wavered," Franklin said of Pribula's stance during the recruiting process. "I think he really embraces competition, and I couldn't be more excited about him."
Pribula's style of play has drawn comparisons to former Penn State star Trace McSorley, who previously wore Pribula's No. 9. He projects as the primary backup QB when Penn State regroups for a new semester in January.
It remains to be seen when Franklin will officially declare Allar as QB1 for 2023, but he is the obvious starter-in-waiting for a Nittany Lions squad that finished this regular season ranked inside the top 10. Penn State is primed to begin there next season considering its returning pieces, which feature foundational offensive talents such as prized NFL tackle prospect Olu Fashanu, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Nick Singleton, and fellow breakout running back Kaytron Allen.
Leading pass catchers Brenton Strange and Parker Washington could return, while tight end depth is proven and there's plenty of room for progress within a receiver unit that includes five freshmen. Led by Fashanu, the Nittany Lions are likely to bring back at least six and as many as eight offensive linemen with significant starting experience.
Simply put, Allar is taking the keys to what appears to be a high-potential offense under the direction of a third-year PSU play-caller.
"He's a pro. It's really important to him," Yurcich said. "... He's awesome. He fits in well with our culture. He understands how to really articulate the film, not just watching the film, but being able to peel it back and understand different coverages, be able to articulate what plays he likes to certain formations."
Penn State opens its 2023 season Sept. 2 in Beaver Stadium versus West Virginia. Two weeks later, the Nittany Lions embark on Big Tenactionwith a trip to Illinois, followed by a visit from Iowa. Early tests await Allar, while there should be opportunities (particularly a Sept. 9 game against Delaware) to provide Pribula with game experience.
Of course, we've seen Penn State go to a third quarterback in key spots during recent seasons (Clifford in 2018; Veilleux in 2021). As of now, that job seemingly trends toward Jaxon Smolik, a current senior at Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines, Iowa) High School.
A late-riser on the 2023 recruiting trail due in part to junior-season injury issues, Smolik committed to Tulane committed in June. Within approximately one month of that announcement,he had impressed as a late addition to the Elite 11 roster, picked up multiple Power Five offers, and flipped to Penn State following a trip to campus.
Considered a three-startalent the No. 32 QB in 247Sports' Class of 2023 rankings, Smolik will enroll at Penn State in January.
"Graduating high school early is such a huge advantage, especially for quarterbacks," Smolik said. "You've got to learn that whole playbook and you can get into that spring game, which will really help. You can get some time on the field with your teammates and with the coaches, and being able to mesh with everyone."
Count 247Sport national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu among those who like the fit.
"This seems like the perfect guy to bring in after that (2022 QB class)," Trieu said. "He's excited to have the opportunity. He's used to having to fight his way. So having two quarterbacks in front of him isn't going to be a hindrance to him. It might have been for some other guys who are in this class. He's going to come in with a pretty fresh mindset."
Mentality was crucial in Penn State's search for the right addition to this quarterback room.
"When you when you bring in two quarterbacks in the class before, and one of them being an all-world kind of guy in Drew Allar, it's tough to follow that up with another Drew Allar," Trieu said. "But you also you don't want to sacrifice on quality. So I think this is a perfect situation where you kind of catch a guy on the rise. His trajectory is going up but he isn't going to have a problem following a class that has Drew Allar and then a second really good quarterback in Beau Pribula as well. So I think this is a perfect situation."
If things go according to plan for Penn State, Pribula and Smolik will spend Saturdays next autumn watching Allar matchexpectations, taking his place among college football's most prominent young passers. This sport proves each season that there are no guarantees, but PSU may be heading into a special span of offense football with its new triggerman.
"From the standpoint of what he can do with his arm and touch every blade of grass from the pocket or out of the pocket, off platform, under pressure — it's exciting to think about what he can be as a passer," Elite 11 president Brian Stumpf said this summer. "... You look at a body type and an arm talent like that when he's in high school, and he's probably one of the few kids in each class that you think, three or four years down the road, if things fall into place, and if he has the emotional intelligence to handle the college experience and the college locker room, physically, there are some No. 1 (pick) in the draft type of traits in that toolkit."
The Nittany Lions have been most comfortable when carrying four scholarship quarterbacks but, as of now, it's difficult to envision a path toward that outcome in 2023. Smolik is expected to be a solo QB signee within the next freshman class,and it's hard to understand why a collegiate veteran would elect to transfer in if he has ambitions to start next September, for similar reasons to what led Veilleux to leave Happy Valley.
That likely leads to the prioritization of a preferred walk-on quarterback or two. The need goes beyond a positional depth chart, as Penn State's defense requires an accountable presence to handle QB duties across the practice field. PSU did not carry a walk-on quarterback this season.
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