James Franklin announced that Drew Allar’s season and Penn State career are done following a heartbreaking injury he sustained in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern.

He scrambled for one yard up the middle on 3rd-and-4 as Penn State looked for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, but he stayed down following the tackle and was in noticeable pain.

Penn State athletic coaches immediately ran to tend to Allar, who had his helmet off as he sat up on the ground. Allar stood up and walked for a bit under his own strength with a limp. However, he quickly wrapped his arms around the athletic coaches and walked off the field. He was carted off as he reached the sideline.

Whether you love him or hate him, Allar’s four-year stint donning the blue and white is one that Penn State fans won’t soon forget. He immediately showed promise in his true freshman season, where he appeared in 10 games for the Nittany Lions.

Allar took over the starting job as a sophomore ahead of the 2023 season. He ended his first full year with 25 touchdowns to two interceptions and 2,631 yards.

His development continued in his 2024 junior campaign, one of Penn State’s best-ever seasons. Allar led the Nittany Lions all the way down to a College Football Playoff Semifinal behind 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, and a 66.5% completion percentage.

While he could’ve gone to the 2025 NFL Draft early, Allar decided to stay with Penn State for his senior year in hopes of seeing to some unfinished business with the squad. He set the tone for a large number of other Penn State stars to run it back one more time in Happy Valley as well, setting the stage for what should’ve been a deep Penn State run once more in 2025.

However, here we are in October with Penn State at 3-3 and Allar out for the season. While Allar hadn’t performed to the standards the college football world expected him to in 2025, James Franklin constantly described Allar as the ultimate competitor and the heart and soul of the team. It’s no secret that Penn State’s season might be over in terms of genuine competitiveness for a College Football Playoff spot without Allar.

Zane Durant and TJ Shanahan Jr. provided their initial reactions to Allar’s season-ending injury following the Nittany Lions’ loss to Northwestern.

“He just told me he was out for the season…I got to talk to Drew [Allar] a little bit, man. That’s my dawg. We’ll get it figured out,” Durant said.

Shanahan got his second-ever Penn State start at right guard against Northwestern.

“My heart goes out for Drew [Allar]. I know how much he’s worked ever since I got here in January, transferred here from Texas A&M, he was one of the leaders that really stuck out,” Shanahan said. “It just sucks, and it hurts my heart for him to be out. We’re losing the big leader up front, but I know he’s still going to be there and be a vocal leader.”

Yet, with him now out, there’s no time to dwell. Penn State has to go to the next man up or the season will simply go from horrifically bad to even worse.

Enter Ethan Grunkemeyer.

Grunkemeyer checked in for Allar following the play where he went down and immediately got lit up on 4th-and-3 for the game-sealing turnover-on-downs. However, the redshirt freshman suddenly has the reins to Penn State’s offense.

Grunkemeyer hails from Lewis Center, Ohio. He’s appeared in each game in 2025 so far besides Penn State’s loss to UCLA. He made his collegiate debut in Penn State’s first round College Football Playoff win over SMU after former backup signal-caller Beau Pribula entered the transfer portal.

In that game, Grunkemeyer had his first pass intercepted, but completed his only other attempt for nine yards.

In 2025, he’s completed eight of 11 passes for 105 yards and one touchdown, which came in Penn State’s week three win over Villanova. Little did he know that in only four weeks from that moment, he’d be Penn State’s new starting quarterback.

While his first play at the helm against Northwestern didn’t go as planned, wide receiver Devonte Ross commended Grunkemeyer’s quick entrance and execution into the game.

“He handled it great. I mean, he came in there hyping us up. He called the play with confidence. Grunk is somebody who has confidence, so that instills confidence in us, and we got 100% belief in him,” Ross said postgame.

Ross easily served as Penn State’s playmaker of the day, ending his night with seven receptions and 115 yards. He rattled off an explosive 67-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter that led to Penn State retaking the lead behind a 1-yard keeper from Allar.

Ross said he loves Allar and that the team will rally behind him in any way that it can. However, he emphasized that it simply has to be the next man up as Penn State reaches the midpoint of the season.

“With Grunk, he’s been behind Drew [Allar], so he hasn’t got as many game reps things like that,” Ross said. “But, that as receivers, I feel like we got to put it on us to try to make plays for him and make his job easier.”

Shanahan also emphasized the need to rally around Grunkemeyer to speed up Penn State’s process of replacing signal callers midseason.

“He’s [Grunkemeyer] just the type of guy that’s just kind of ‘next man up’. I mean, it sucks and it’s unfortunate that that happened to Drew [Allar], and, like I said, my heart goes out for him, but I know that Grunk, I mean, he’s ready to go,” Shanahan said. “We’re going to be there to help him ease into the transition of being QB1 now. But, I love Grunk. I got to spend a lot of time with him too, ever since I’ve been here. I got nothing but faith for him.”