James Franklin, Penn State’s head coach, has had limited success against Ohio State, managing only one win in his over 10-year tenure. However, this offseason, Franklin appears to have the upper hand over Ohio State’s Ryan Day in managing the quarterback position. While Day has overseen a strong lineage of quarterbacks at Ohio State, including Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and CJ Stroud, his indecision last season, particularly with Kyle McCord, may have set his program back despite having one of the best rosters in the country heading into 2024.
Instead of quickly pursuing a high-profile transfer like Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel, Day hesitated, choosing to evaluate his existing options. Devin Brown, who had lost the QB competition to McCord, underwhelmed in his Cotton Bowl appearance against Missouri before getting injured. This forced Day to rely on true freshman Lincoln Kienholz, leaving Ohio State’s quarterback situation uncertain.
Gabriel, who eventually transferred to Oregon, shared that while his conversations with Day were “good,” he preferred to make a quick decision to avoid the stress of prolonged uncertainty. Now a Heisman trophy favorite at Oregon, Gabriel’s move has left Ohio State scrambling. Day turned to Kansas State transfer Will Howard, a seasoned quarterback, but Howard still had to compete with Brown for the starting job. Although key players like freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith have publicly shown support for Howard, Day has yet to officially name a starting quarterback for Ohio State’s opening game against Akron.
Ohio State starts the season with a relatively easy schedule, allowing Day extra time to make his final decision. However, Franklin’s situation with Penn State’s Drew Allar, though not flawless last year, has been more stable. Franklin recruited Allar from Ohio and resisted calls to give backup Beau Pribula a shot at the starting job, recognizing that Penn State’s best chance to win lies with Allar as the quarterback.
As Ohio State faces uncertainty at the quarterback position, this season might be Penn State’s best opportunity to defeat the Buckeyes. If Franklin and Allar can’t capitalize on this chance, future battles will only become tougher as Ohio State continues to produce top-tier quarterbacks. While Ohio State has an edge in other areas of the roster, including successful transfer portal acquisitions, Penn State’s stability at quarterback gives them a fighting chance when they meet Ohio State in Happy Valley this season.
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