Penn State Football: Intriguing recruit on campus this weekend

Penn State football may be closer to finding the quarterback for its 2023 recruiting class.

Penn State football is hosting its annual Lasch Bash this weekend and Tulane commit Jaxon Smolik was spotted on Friday.

The 3-star quarterback took part in Penn State’s Elite Showcase V, a camp held the day before the cookout. Tyler Calvaruso of 247 Sports captured some footage of Smolik preforming at the camp.

Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich is looking all over the country for the replacement for Marcus Stokes.

Stokes was the quarterback in Penn State’s class before flipping to Florida earlier in July. This left the Nittany Lions in a bad spot as all ten of the quarterbacks they offered in 2023 were already committed elsewhere.

Smolik became a nationally regarded prospect after an impressive showing at the Elite 11. From Iowa, Smolik was not heavily recruited by any big-name schools and ended up committing to Tulane in June.

Although it’s not a given he will end up at Penn State, the chances of him sticking with Tulane look slim.

Smolik is listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. He is rated as the No. 38 quarterback in the nation by the 247 Sports composite. While it’s unlikely he has a ranking climb like Drew Allar did last year, the general consensus is that Smolik may be better than his rating suggests.

Finding a quarterback this late in a recruiting cycle is not an easy task, but Yurcich and the rest of the staff have an opportunity here with Smolik. Of course, Smolik currently does not have a Penn State offer (at least publicly), so his performance yesterday is likely being evaluated by the staff.

Don’t be surprised if by Sunday Smolik has a Penn State offer. He is definitely the top name to keep an eye on when it comes to who could be the quarterback in this class.