ALTOONA, Pa. -- From the moment James Franklin announced that Drew Allar would be the backup quarterback -- on the afternoon of Aug. 29 -- one thing became pretty apparent right then and there:
Christian Veilleux would be entering the transfer portal at some point.
Well, that point finally came Tuesday afternoon for the redshirt freshman quarterback from Ottawa.
Being at Penn State has been nothing but a blessing. I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and staff for memories that I’ll cherish forever. I will be entering my name in the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/7uE4hdKlW5
— Chr1st1an Vei11eux (@VeilleuxQB11) November 29, 2022
Allar, a true freshman, has all the makings of a college star and will take over as Penn State's starter next year, after backing up Sean Clifford this season.
Most people -- including me -- figured Veilleux would be the backup quarterback for at least the early part of this season, then give way to Allar at some point. Veilleux was the backup to Clifford late last year and did a nice job filling in during a 28-0 victory over Rutgers when Clifford had the flu.
It just didn't seem likely that Allar would beat out Veilleux to open the season, but indeed he did. Franklin made the decision on the backup job early on, and by all accounts, it paid off in every way as Allar was able to get a whole lot of experience. Even if it wasn't as much experience as many people wanted to see.
Vellieux appeared in just two games this season -- Ohio and Auburn -- and always seemed to be the perfect candidate to end up transferring after the season. He only waited three days after the season to announce his intentions.
There was really only one possible reason for Veilleux to come back to Penn State next year. He likely would have been Allar's backup and might have gotten an extended opportunity to play if Allar were to either get hurt or really struggle.
That stuff just wasn't enough to keep Veilleux interested in returning.
So, what will the QB situation look like next year?
Penn State will go from having one of the oldest starting quarterbacks in the country in Clifford, to being extremely young overall at the position.
Obviously, Allar will be the starter, and expectations for the 5-star recruit will be extremely high.
The backup next year now figures to be Beau Pribula, a 3-star recruit from Central York High School who was a true freshman this season. Pribula was rated as the No. 14 prospect in Pennsylvania and the No. 29 quarterback prospect in the nation in high school.
We think Veilleux would have been QB2 next season behind Allar, but it's also possible that Pribula might have beaten him out for the backup job.
Either way, Pribula now should find himself in the very important position of needing to be ready to play just in case something happens to Allar next season.
Now, in a lot of cases, a team relying on such young quarterbacks might look into the transfer portal to try and find a veteran who might be interested in coming to a big school to serve as the backup. It is possible Penn State could do that, but ...
Honestly, why would any quarterback who could, you know, actually do the job at a place like Penn State actually come when there's someone like Allar as the starter? A quarterback in the transfer portal wants to play and prove himself, and if Allar lives up to the hype, the backup will pretty much never see the field for the Nittany Lions the next couple of years.
So, it would seem that Penn State would go into the 2023 season set with Allar as the starter and Pribula as the backup.
Those will be the only two scholarship quarterbacks returning next season.
The other scholarship QB will be incoming freshman Jaxon Smolik, a 3-star prospect from Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He originally committed to Tulane before backing out and committing to Penn State.
BIG TEN HONORS
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was Penn State's lone defensive player selected first-team all-Big Ten on Tuesday. Porter was named to the first team by both the media and coaches.
The Lions had 13 players selected to the conference defensive and special teams awards lists.
Defense:
LB Abdul Carter (second team)
DT PJ Mustipher (second team)
S Ji’Ayir Brown (third team)
DE Adisa Isaac (third team)
CB Kalen King (third team)
CB Johnny Dixon (honorable mention)
LB Curtis Jacobs (honorable mention)
DE Chop Robinson (honorable mention)
DE Nick Tarburton (honorable mention)
Special teams:
KR Nicholas Singleton (second team)
P Barney Amor (honorable mention)
K Jake Pinegar (honorable mention)
