James Franklin prepares all of his players as if they’re the starter.

It’s the reason why Beau Pribula was confident when he entered the game for an injured Drew Allar in the second half of the Nittany Lions’ 28-13 win over Wisconsin Saturday night, and it’s the reason why Liam Clifford said he and the rest of the team didn’t have any nerves when the change was made.

After heading to the locker room early at halftime Saturday night in Madison, Allar returned to the field wearing his helmet and a knee brace. The quarterback had a conversation with Franklin as Pribula and true freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer began warming up before Allar went back to the sideline.

“I asked [Allar] to be very honest with me,” Franklin said postgame. “He just didn’t feel like he would be able to move well enough to go.”

Pribula started as the quarterback for the second half against the Badgers and led the Nittany Lions to victory, throwing 11 completions on 13 attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown while adding 28 yards on the ground. Allar spent much of the second half sitting on the bench alongside quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien.

Franklin didn’t have any information on the nature of Allar’s injury postgame, but he said on Monday that the timeline for a decision on the starter would go all the way until game time. With Pribula potentially moving up to the starting slot, Grunkemeyer would take on the backup role and also have to be ready to take the field.

While it’s a large part of his coaching philosophy, Franklin admitted that getting all three quarterbacks prepared for potential action on Saturday is easier said than done. Along with the increased load for Pribula and Grunkemeyer, Franklin also wanted Allar to practice to get a better read on the situation.

“The reality is we’re going to have to have both guys ready, and you could even make the argument all three guys ready, which is challenging to do in a game week,” Franklin said. “I’ve had some conversations with [O’Brien] and Andy [Kotelnicki] about that already, and we’ll continue to have conversations.”

Along with uncertainty at quarterback comes uncertainty in game-planning, too. Allar and Pribula are similar in many ways, but they also have very different strengths when it comes to the way they play the position.

As both quarterbacks have developed, those strengths have started to blend. Allar has begun to lean more on his legs, and Pribula proved his ability in the passing game. Regardless, the playbook is turned on its head depending on who’s under center.

“When the game plan flips and Beau is in there, it changes it dramatically for the defense,” Franklin said. “I don’t think we’re in a situation where the offense totally changes, but what’s nice about us is we do enough things, and we have enough diversity within our playbook that we’re able to focus on the strengths of the players that are in there.”

Behind Allar and Pribula is another player Franklin believes has a bright future within the program. A 247Sports four-star quarterback out of Olentangy High School in Ohio, Grunkemeyer trained with Brad Maendler, the same coach responsible for Allar’s high school development.

Grunkemeyer hasn’t seen any game action yet but is acting as the third-string quarterback in place of an injured Jaxon Smolik, who was the third-string last year. Smolik’s injury was first reported in late March, but he’s been seen warming up and taking snaps in practice since, which Franklin said in September was the most he was cleared to do.

Smolik wasn’t on the travel roster for the last two away trips to USC and Wisconsin, and Grunkemeyer has seemingly taken hold of the third spot.

“[Grunkemeyer] is a really nice blend between Drew and Beau in some ways, and he makes some throws that are really impressive, but again, there’s only so much time to go around,” Franklin said. “Danny [O’Brien] is doing a really good job, and I think Grunk is doing a really good job, just like you heard the conversations with Beau, those guys are preparing as if they’re the starter.”

If there’s a silver lining to a starting quarterback potentially missing the biggest game of the regular season, it’s the depth and diversity in the quarterback room.

Preparing for Allar and preparing for Pribula are two very different things, which could act as an advantage for the Nittany Lions come Saturday. Franklin isn’t underestimating the Buckeyes’ ability to adapt, and even though it’s great in theory, preparing as a starter is a challenge that needs to be met this week.

“It’s another level of concern that it creates for the defense of things that they have to deal with,” Franklin said. “They’re a really good football team, and they’re as talented of a roster as anyone in the country. It’s a challenge, and I think our guys are ready for the challenge.”