Penn State picks its backup quarterback for SMU; Will there be a third option for the CFP if necessary?

Penn State football has lost its backup quarterback, Beau Pribulaon Sunday in the NCAA transfer portal. That means the No. 6 Nittany Lions only had a few days to find a new No. 2 option behind the starter Drew Allar for their College Football Playoff first-round matchup with No. 11 SMU. Who would finish behind the junior if he had to leave the field against the Mustangs?

The answer is newbie Ethan Grunkemeyeras a redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik is still back in training but is not yet medically cleared for matchday after suffering a long-term injury earlier this year. He hasn’t played a snap in a game this season, but has over .300 in practice, head coach James Franklin said Monday. Now the number is certainly closer to 400, if not over 400. But nothing replaces the work on match day, especially not on this stage.

“Ethan will be the backup quarterback in the game,” Franklin said. “Smolik is still not medically cleared. So Grunk has done a really good job of putting himself in a position that we have a lot of confidence in and he got a lot of reps this week.”

Franklin went on to say that the team does not have a “third option” at this time. Allar and Grunkemeyer are the only scholarship quarterbacks available for Saturday. He declined to disclose what action Penn State would take if a third option became necessary for strategic reasons. But he credited redshirt freshman Jack Lambert with managing the scout team and found that Smolik had a lot to do in that regard.

Penn State safety Jaylen Reed is “ready to go” for Saturday.

Penn State senior safety Jaylen Reed shared a now-deleted social media post over the weekend following a car accident. On Saturday evening, a Penn State spokesperson said in a statement to BWI: “Jaylen Reed was involved in a car accident. We’re glad he’s okay and there were no serious injuries. He will continue to prepare for this weekend.”

On Wednesday, Franklin addressed both that and Reed’s status for the matchup with the Mustangs.

“Well, first of all, I want us to not share our entire business on social media for this to even be a discussion,” Franklin said. “But at the end of the day, I’m glad J-Reed is safe and healthy. In a way, I consider all these guys like my sons. I have a very close relationship with J-Reed and his mother.

“So the most important thing is that he is healthy. And I don’t just mean for football. He is healthy and good. That’s the most important thing. And then of course we’re happy that he’s totally into it and doesn’t have any problems.”