Penn State football’s season opener against West Virginia may be five months away, but sophomore Drew Allar and redshirt freshman Beau Pribula are in the midst of a two-way competition for the starting quarterback job.

For the entirety of Allar’s year-long stint in Happy Valley, the former five-star product has been widely regarded as the Nittany Lions’ saving grace at the signal-caller ranks. The Ohio native’s skillset is vast, displayed by showing unique throwing angles and crafty footwork, and his potential is high. His arm strength and accuracy are polarizing.

Pribula, on the other hand, offers a different upside. The York, Pennsylvania, native doesn’t have as powerful of an arm, but his mobility as a dual-threat quarterback is helpful in today’s era.

Now that longtime starter Sean Clifford is no longer with the program, James Franklin is labeling the job opening as a competition rather than simply handing it to one guy at the start of spring camp. So far, he likes what he’s seen.

“I think it’s been a really good competition,” Franklin said. “Those guys are battling. They’re both doing really good things.”

Although Allar is the higher-rated quarterback of the two, Franklin and the coaching staff are doing necessary due diligence by giving both players an equal opportunity to win over the locker room and the starting role. Additionally, he is trying to make sure that both get an appropriate amount of reps against the defense.

“Making sure that Drew gets some reps and Beau gets some reps with the ones and vice versa, those things are important,” Franklin said.

Franklin also mentioned that the competition will end when it’s “obvious and been decided”. Through nearly two weeks of spring ball, the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff appears to be far from making the important call a finality.

Neither quarterback appears all that rattled by the competition. In fact, Allar was adamant that nothing is set in stone yet.

“I think every position is open,” Allar said. “There’s no starters whatsoever until West Virginia comes around.”

Although the two are in the middle of a battle on the field, Pribula acknowledged that his relationship with Allar is strong.

“It’s always been a really good relationship ever since we both got on campus,” Pribula said. “He’s helped me a lot. I’ve helped him a lot, but we always bounce ideas off each other.”

Allar also offered a similar perspective on the situation. He echoed Pribula’s thoughts on simultaneously competing against one another and helping each other improve.

“We’re competing against each other, but we’re not,” said Allar. “We’re doing it in the right way. We’re also helping each other at the same time.”

Although the team is labeling this as a one-on-one dual, it appears very likely that Allar will be the starting quarterback barring a surprise. His potential, skill level, and in-game experience make him the obvious favorite.

However, it will be interesting to see how Pribula is utilized. Like Allar, he also has one season’s worth of experience in the program. Given his ability as a dual-threat quarterback, he’s an important piece on the roster.

While the so-called competition is giving the coaches a better sense of how Allar and Pribula are progressing on the field, it’s serving both players well because their relationship has been strong through it. Each player has a different skill set, which helps them learn from each other.

Given the circumstances, it’s a good thing for Penn State that the players have a steady relationship. A quarterback competition could be awkward for those involved, and Penn State’s program hasn’t been through an offseason with a new starting quarterback in years.

If the starter gets hurt, for example, the backup will be better prepared to step in as a result. As Penn State saw in 2021 when Clifford went down, losing a starting quarterback can be very damaging to a team’s morale and ultimately its season.