Penn State quarterbacks Ethan Grunkemeyer and Jaxon Smolik played a tense duel on both sides in Penn State football’s 2025 Blue-White Game.

Smolik produced the highlight of the day, showcasing his arm talent with a deep 47-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Lyrick Samuel. He took over command of Team White’s offense in the second quarter, and Smolik didn’t let the opportunity go to waste after missing last season with an injury.

The redshirt sophomore continued to make plays deep into the fourth quarter, where he picked out Quinton Martin Jr. on a wheel route down the sideline for a big gain. Smolik’s talent on the run was on display as well, with multiple completions while scrambling outside of the pocket.

Grunkemeyer, on the other hand, got the start for Team White in the spring game. He strung together solid connections with wide receiver Tyseer Denmark in the second half and tight end Joey Schlaffer earlier in the game.

Both quarterbacks played clean games, with no interceptions on either side. The two signal callers’ positive performances in the spring game instigate speculation regarding Penn State’s backup quarterback spot going into the summer.

“That’ll be a true battle, I think right up to the wire,” James Franklin said postgame. “And I think it’s also going to be important that we get those guys some reps in practice with the ones as well.”

With Drew Allar essentially locked into the starting job for one more year in 2025, the backup competition going into the season will play a key role in sorting out Allar’s successor. The Blue-White Game was just the first taste of competition for fans to see what Penn State may look like in a year’s time at the quarterback position.

“The other thing that’s going to be important, as you guys know, is whoever wins the backup quarterback job, we’re going to have to get them reps,” Franklin said. “And not just reps at end-of-game when it’s mop-up duty, like real reps throughout games… But it was very competitive this spring.”

Franklin commended Smolik for his physical, emotional, and mental recovery after his injury. He also said that Grunkemeyer showcased a lot of positives last year and that the coaching staff remains attentive to what he’s already established that he can bring to the table.

With Smolik back and both players receiving the majority of reps under center during the spring game, the coaching staff finally gets time to compare and contrast the two quarterbacks on an even level.

“They’re not only pushing each other, but pushing me as well,” Allar said postgame. “But I think we have a really special quarterback room in the sense that, you know, we all get along. Danny [O’Brien] and Trace [McSorley] do a great job of running that room.”

Allar said it was fun to see the rest of the quarterback room see action during the Blue-White Game on Saturday. However, despite the togetherness of the position group, there’s still a staunch sense of competition between them.

“When it comes time to compete, we all want to win,” Allar said. “And we’re all wired the same way in terms of competitiveness and want to [compete]. So it’s been really fun to see everybody’s growth in that room… All those guys are doing a really good job of just getting 1% better each day, and it’ll be a fun cycle in the summer with those guys as well.”