Top backup QB? WR growth? Here’s what we learned from Penn State’s Blue-White game
Penn State’s spring game has come and gone, marking the end of practice for the Nittany Lions until fall camp — clearing the way for even more discussion to build around one of the best programs in the country and where they stand heading into the season.
The team’s offense will once again be at the center of those discussions, specifically the passing game and quarterback Drew Allar as they look to take the next step. Allar now has a revamped wide receiver room featuring transfers Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson, who look like the team’s starting receivers at this juncture.
And Allar will be aided by one player who didn’t partake Saturday, former Syracuse wide receiver Trebor Pena, who committed to the program a couple hours ahead of kickoff.
Reps will be key for Allar and his wideouts as they head into the offseason and work on building the relationship necessary to succeed. Fortunately for them, that’s doable.
“I think we put ourselves in a position to have more competition in that room, which is what we need,” head coach James Franklin said after the game. “So good progress. But the nice thing is, as you guys have heard me say before, you can get a ton of work done in the passing game over the summer. It’s hard to really work on the running game, but the passing game, you can throw on air, you can do one-on-ones, you can do seven-on-seven. A ton of work that we can still get done. So that’ll be important for us.”
Allar made some throws Saturday that showed some of the upside of being on the same page, but had a few off the mark as well. Here’s what we saw from him and the rest of the Nittany Lions in Saturday’s Blue-White game, which ended in a 10-8 win for Team Blue, which featured most of the projected starters.
What we saw from the offense
- Ethan Grunkemeyer was the first of the backup quarterbacks on the field and showed off his mobility and arm strength at times.
- Jaxon Smolik followed the redshirt freshman signal caller and looked like a player who was all the way back from his long-term injury he suffered last season. Smolik seemed to lose the backup job to Grunkemeyer due to the time lost, but has once again made it a competition for whoever backs up Allar. He made a good throw to Lyrick Samuel for the game’s only passing touchdown on what appeared to be a blown coverage. Samuel is a high-upside player who is in need of some development, but the talent is without a doubt there.
- Speaking of Allar, he’s clearly building a connection with his new receivers Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross after both players transferred in to Penn State in January.
- Allar made a few errant throws but showed off his high-level arm strength with a tight-window pass to Hudson and a throw on a comeback to Ross that was on the money.
- The starting quarterback did throw an interception, but it looked as if wide receiver Liam Clifford didn’t get his hands up to make a play on the ball, allowing it to fly by and get to safety Vaboue Toure.
- The offense featured more under-center looks on Saturday.
- There was also plenty of motion, a staple of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s play-calling. Ross is likely to get plenty of plays where he’s the motion man this season.
- There were also extra wildcat looks with non-quarterbacks taking snaps. It will be interesting to see how prevalent those are this season with former tight end Tyler Warren off to the NFL.
- Redshirt freshman wide receiver Tyseer Denmark was featured at times, with a few quality catch-and-run opportunities. He’s going to factor into the receiver rotation this fall.
- It was difficult to draw much from Nick Singleton or Kaytron Allen at running back. Both appeared to come out of the day healthy, and that’s priority No. 1 for those two.
- Corey Smith and Quinton Martin Jr. are still in need of some development to become starting-level running backs when Allen and Singleton leave after 2025. It will be worth monitoring if either can win the third running back job. Last year’s third back, Cam Wallace, missed a good chunk of 2024 due to an injury but is the most proven player in the group.
What we saw from the defense
- There are fewer questions about this group, and there’s also less to glean from a game like this one, especially because defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has said only 50-60% of the defense has been installed to this point.
- Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Liam Andrews looked disruptive and has a chance to contribute this season. He missed all of 2024 due to an injury but looks fully healthy and like someone who should be a starter down the line.
- The name everyone wants to hear about, LB LaVar Arrington Jr., was also disruptive. It looked as if he got his hand on a pass and was able to get some penetration when he was getting after the quarterback. Position mate Anthony Speca said Arrington Jr. is currently the best athlete in the room, but that doesn’t count fellow linebacker Tony Rojas who did not play Saturday.
- Freshman defensive end Dayshaun Burnett showed some flashes off the edge, with his athleticism being front and center. He probably won’t factor in this year but, as he gets bigger and stronger, his role should only grow at Penn State.
- Yvan Kemajou started at defensive end for the Blue team alongside Zuriah Fisher. He enrolled in January, and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton did not play Saturday, but that is a notable development for a player who just got to campus.
- The cornerback room didn’t have A.J. Harris on Saturday, giving way to Audavion Collins and Elliot Washington II to start on the outside. Those three will likely be the team’s top corners this fall, and Harris could be one of the best in the country at the position.
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 6:32 PM.
