Who will replace Drew Allar behind center at Penn State in 2026?

Drew Allar could have left early for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Many pegged Penn State’s quarterback as a first-rounder, some as high as a top-10 pick. Instead, Allar decided to return for one more season to continue to develop and headline Penn State’s national title push.

But Allar will certainly be gone this time next year. Regardless of how high he’s projected to be drafted, he’ll run out of college eligibility, head to the NFL and compete for a starting job at the next level. Back in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions will have to move on.

Penn State quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien doesn’t necessarily want to focus on that right now. His priority is preparing Allar and the rest of his group for the upcoming season. But it’s an undeniable reality that someone other than Allar will be starting for Penn State in 2026.

So, how is Penn State positioned for life after Allar? Pretty well, O’Brien said.

There are talented options behind Allar in third-year Jaxon Smolik, second-year Ethan Grunkemeyer and true freshman Bekkem Kritza. But what O’Brien harped on most was the foundation Allar and Beau Pribula helped establish in the quarterback room.

“Him and Beau had a lot to do with a great culture that I walked into,” said O’Brien, who joined the staff in 2021 but wasn’t promoted to quarterbacks coach until last year. “They set an example of how to work. We have a pretty high standard here, and that’s not anything to do with me. I can show them what to do, but they live it and do it every day.

“So these young guys like Jaxon and Grunk and Bekkem, who just got here, they’re seeing what it takes every day. And now Beau’s gone obviously, but Drew has taken them under his wing of how to be a quarterback at Penn State.”

Allar and Pribula became the elder statesmen as sophomores when Sean Clifford moved on after the 2022 season. And after Pribula’s transfer to Missouri, Allar is the lone vet.

It’s a spot Allar should be comfortable with since he is entering his third season as Penn State’s starter. With that comes pressure, both externally and internally, as well as leadership responsibilities. Being a vocal leader didn’t come naturally at first for Allar. But last year, it was clear he grew in that department, and the Nittany Lions were better off for it.

Looking ahead, O’Brien believes Smolik, Grunkemeyer and Kritza stand to benefit from Allar’s guidance and experience — in the same way Allar learned sitting behind Clifford in 2022.

“That’s kind of the circle of life,” O’Brien said. “You’re gonna be the young guy. We were all Bekkem Kritza. You walk in, and you have 10 million more things on your plate than you did in high school. But then you’re going to be the older guy and pay it forward to the next guy.”

But who will be the next guy for the Nittany Lions?

Odds are Grunkemeyer or Smolik will start in 2026. Both are slated to compete for this year’s No. 2 job during August training camp. Smolik, an underrated 2023 signee, impressed this spring after missing all of last season with a season-ending injury. Grunkemeyer, a blue-chip 2024 recruit, has all the tools and served as Allar’s backup after Pribula’s pre-CFP exit.

Kritza could be in the mix for 2026. But the three-star 2025 recruit was considered a bit of a project when he signed. O’Brien and Penn State also have two four-stars committed in their 2026 recruiting class: Nazareth’s Peyton Falzone and California native Troy Huhn.

Falzone and Huhn won’t get to share a position room and learn from Allar like Grunkemeyer, Smolik and Kritza. But O’Brien is confident the culture of Penn State’s quarterback room will remain intact after Allar’s departure to the NFL.

“When he leaves, they’ve been brought up in a really good culture of how to prepare, how to be the guy,” O’Brien said. “… So hopefully we’ve got it rolling to the point where we have really good quarterbacks, obviously, talent-wise, and we’ve got really good dudes who are willing to help while they’re all competing for the same thing. And that’s a fine balance. Because they’re all super competitive and want to be the guy.”