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Penn State notes: James Franklin nears decision on No. 2 quarterback

STATE COLLEGE – Penn State has yet to name a No. 2 quarterback with less than two weeks before the season opener against Nevada.

Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said Tuesday night after practice that he’s close to deciding whether redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer or redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik will be the primary backup behind Drew Allar.

“We haven’t sat down and talked to these guys yet,” Franklin said. “We were probably close to making a decision a week ago and held off because we had a couple inconsistent practices.”

The 6-1, 213-pound Smolik missed last season because of an injury after he played in one game two years ago without attempting a pass. He’s a former three-star prospect from Van Meter, Iowa.

The 6-2, 212-pound Grunkemeyer played in one game last season against SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff and completed 1-of-2 passes for 9 yards. He’s a former four-star prospect from Lewis Center, Ohio.

“We’ve started to adjust the (practice) reps,” Franklin said, “for the guy we think is in the lead.”

Battle at guard: Three players are competing to be Penn State’s right guard, the only vacant position on the offensive line.

Anthony Donkoh, Cooper Cousins or T.J. Shanahan Jr. could wind up as the starter. Much also depends on whether Nolan Rucci locks up the job at right tackle.

Donkoh started 10 games at right tackle last season before he suffered a season-ending injury. Rucci, the former Warwick High standout, replaced him and played impressively in the final five games.

Cousins is a sophomore and a former four-star prospect from McDowell High School in Erie. Shanahan transferred earlier this year from Texas A&M, where he played 10 games at center and guard last season and made five starts.

If Rucci starts at right tackle, then the Lions will pick Donkoh, Cousins or Shanahan to be the right guard. If Donkoh is the right tackle, then the right guard will be Cousins or Shanahan.

“We have a pretty good idea of who we’re going to play there next Saturday,” Franklin said, “but it’s still close enough to continue the competition. It’s a battle. It’s a really good battle.

“I think we can win with all of them.”

The returning starters on the line are left tackle Drew Shelton, left guard Vega Ioane, center Nick Dawkins and Donkoh, at right tackle.

Depth up front: Penn State will rotate more than 10 players on the defensive line, as usual, and it seems certain that Xavier Gilliam and Chaz Coleman will be part of that group.

The 6-2, 305-pound Gilliam played at defensive tackle in five games last season as a freshman after he was a defensive end in high school in Maryland.

“He’s just super consistent and very mature,” Franklin said. “He’s productive in the run game and the pass game. He comes to work every single day. He’s been really good. There’s been a lot of excitement in the program about him for a while.”

The 6-4, 240-pound Coleman, a freshman defensive end from Warren, Ohio, received rave reviews last week from Franklin and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Defensive line coach Deion Barnes also praised him Tuesday night.

“You can see that he’s intentional to learn the play and to ask a bunch of questions about the technique,” Barnes said. “Whatever you tell him to do, he’s going to go out there and do it exactly how you told him. He does a good job of listening, applying that information and being a sponge.

“The biggest thing I have to do as a coach is to not have him thinking too much. He’s going to make mistakes as a freshman. He has to go out there, just play ball and have fun.”