Penn State football’s quarterback room has been through a lot this season.

True freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer moved into the third slot for most of the year after redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik went down with a long-term injury during the spring practice window.

While the third and fourth quarterbacks on the depth chart don’t normally garner attention in press conferences, both Grunkemeyer and Smolik were brought up multiple times during the week leading up to SMU due to Beau Pribula’s entrance into the transfer portal before the first round game.

Smolik has only been cleared to practice for the past week and hasn’t been able to get the reps that typically come with being the third-string quarterback. During his weekly press conference on Monday, Franklin said the battle for the backup spot after Pribula’s departure was up in the air.

“Both of them will be part of the equation and part of the discussion,” Franklin said on Monday. “If I had to guess, I’ll bet you [Grunkemeyer]’s probably got about 350 reps in practice. Jaxon, who we love and think has a very, very bright future, wasn’t able to get those reps. So all those things will be factored in before we make those decisions.”

On Wednesday, the decision had been made.

While Smolik had been cleared to practice, he hasn’t been medically cleared to play in a game, and Grunkemeyer will slot into the No. 2 spot come Saturday.

“Grunk’s done a really good job and he’s put himself in a good position,” Franklin said after practice on Wednesday. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him, and he’s gotten a lot of reps this week.”

Grunkemeyer, a highly-touted recruit out of Olentangy High School in Ohio, hasn’t seen the field in any game action so far this year but has acted as the third-string throughout this season. Smolik was in the same boat, and only saw a handful of snaps last season. With Smolik not cleared, the decimated room is left with nothing more on the depth chart.

“We don’t have a third option,” Franklin said.

There isn’t any anger within the program towards Pribula, though. The former quarterback was touted as a great teammate by players on Monday and as someone forced into an impossible decision given the current state of the NCAA football calendar.

Even with a different face at the No. 2 spot, things have been progressing as normal throughout game preparations. Grunkemeyer has rotated into the spot all year, and every player on Franklin’s roster is challenged to prepare like a starter every week.

According to Drew Allar, Grunkemeyer has done just that and is ready to step into the spotlight if needed.

“In terms of preparing, I think it’s similar to what we preach as a quarterback. No matter what, preparing as a starter, and I don’t know how much that really changes for all of us just because we’ve been preparing that way for 14 weeks now,” Allar said. “So I think we’re going to keep that same mindset about ourselves.”