Penn State's last scholarship quarterback plans to enter the portal

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The flurry of Penn State transfers continued on Friday, with another quarterback announcing his intent to enter the transfer portal.

Redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik will enter the portal with three years of eligibility remaining, according to an Instagram post he shared. He’s the third Penn State quarterback to enter the portal this offseason, joining redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer and freshman Bekkem Kritza. Additionally, 2026 4-star quarterback Troy Huhn flipped to Virginia Tech to follow former head coach James Franklin, leaving the Nittany Lions‘ quarterback room very thin at the moment.

A former Elite 11 participant, Smolik redshirted in 2023, missed the entirety of the 2024 season with an injury, and was beat out by Ethan Grunkemeyer for the No. 2 quarterback spot in 2025. Smolik saw some usage after Drew Allar’s injury this season, but an injury against Iowa ultimately ended his Penn State career.

As it stands, the only quarterbacks on Penn State’s 2026 roster are 4-star freshman Peyton Falzone, who flipped from Auburn, 3-star Kase Evans, a former Iowa State commit who is following head coach Matt Campbell to Happy Valley, and Jack Lambert, a preferred walk-on from the 2023 recruiting class.

Campbell will likely add some experience to the quarterback room via the transfer portal. Rising senior Rocco Becht, who has started the last three seasons at Iowa State, will visit Penn State and is projected to sign with the Nittany Lions. Iowa State freshman Alex Manske also entered the portal and could potentially follow Campbell to Penn State.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State’s last scholarship quarterback plans to enter the portal

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