STATE COLLEGE — The last time Mike Yurcich met with reporters was in the postgame locker room at the Rose Bowl. Penn State’s offensive coordinator, all smiles after the win, spent time on Jan. 2 breaking down Sean Clifford’s final game.

Things have changed quite a bit since. Days before Clifford takes the field at Holuba Hall for pro day, Yurcich addressed Penn State’s current situation at quarterback.

It’s still early with the Nittany Lions only four practices into spring camp. But Yurcich still had plenty to say about Drew Allar, Beau Pribula and Jaxon Smolik.

Drew Allar

Allar is the heir apparent for a reason. The five-star talent played in 10 games last year, logging 148 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He completed 35 of 60 passes for 344 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Yurcich said there’s no replacing experience, especially at quarterback. He doesn’t have a “measuring stick” for how much those reps actually matter, but the play-caller does know that Allar’s snaps “benefited him and his overall learning curve.”

“I don’t want to put any labels on anybody,” Yurcich said. “But he has really good vision. He understands the game. He works really hard at it. And when you work really hard, like the whole quarterback room does, good things happen.”

Yurcich also added that Allar and Pribula have grown as leaders, thanks in part to having the chance to watch and learn behind Clifford last season.

“Everyone needs to see confidence in a quarterback. Confidence grows and is contagious. So that’s really important,” Yurcich said. “… You see signs of them being more vocal, and that’ll come with more trust and more production. The more they produce the more you’ll see them become vocal, which is needed at times.

“Right now, they’re just trying to do their job and do it to the best of their ability. That’s all they need to do. But being a vocal leader when the lights come on, it comes really natural to them. They want that. And it’s great to have that. … So they’re on schedule, and I’m really pleased with their development thus far in that regard.”

Beau Pribula

At last week’s presser, coach James Franklin noted that while they’re going to keep quarterback reps “as even as possible,” Pribula might actually receive more snaps by the end of spring because of his unique skillset.

Pribula, a former Central York standout, is considered a dual-threat quarterback and could be used in exotic packages. The four-star talent didn’t play as a freshman. But as a high school senior, Pribula accounted for 3,096 total yards and 42 touchdowns.

Yurcich said there hasn’t been a focus on unconventional offensive looks during spring ball, at least not yet. So far it’s been used for installing and establishing the base offense. He also pushed back on the term “dual-threat” when asked about Pribula.

“Beau is a very consistent player,” he said. “He’s accurate. He has tremendous feet. He’s strong in the weight room. He brings a lot of ability. I don’t want to label him as a dual-threat because I think sometimes when you label guys as dual-threat you minimize their ability to throw.”

Jaxon Smolik

The third scholarship quarterback on Penn State’s roster just recently arrived. Smolik, a three-star signee in the 2023 recruiting class, enrolled in January.

Since then, Smolik has made an impression on Yurcich, who has been impressed with the freshman’s demeanor and ability to translate what he’s learning in the Lasch Building to the field. Understandably, Smolik also has areas to improve.

“He’s a poised young man,” Yurcich said. “He doesn’t get real high, doesn’t get low. That’s a really good mentality to have as a quarterback because there are a lot of emotions. I’ve seen guys that can ride the emotions whether it’s too high or too low, and it can bring them up or down and really magnify the current situation.

“He’s able to process information well. He’s still trying to get a grasp on the offense, and I think he’s better when he hits the field. Haven’t looked at day four yet, but one through three you could see that when he’s on the field, he sees it and he gets it and he has really good vision. That’s a really important trait to have as a quarterback.

“Being on the blackboard and being able to spit out information the way we spit it out as coaches will come with time. He’s still learning that, and that will be a transition for him. But I’m pleased with how he gets on the field and is ready to go.”

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