Penn State’s quarterback situation could be headed for a crossroads, and the search for answers may not wait until the offseason. With the Nittany Lions sitting at 3-4 and a quarterback in his final year of eligibility, the focus should shift to redshirt freshman backup Alex Manske. If Matt Campbell keeps leaning on Rocco Becht instead of giving Manske a real look - or if Manske gets the chance and doesn’t seize it - then the next starter may have to come from the transfer portal.
That’s the backdrop for a quarterback board that stretches from practical depth pieces to long-shot swings at serious talent. Campbell has spent his first 11 months in Happy Valley showing a willingness to stick with what he knows, but if Manske isn’t the answer, Penn State will need options.
Among the Group of Six up transfers, Temple’s Ajani Sheppard is a name worth watching. Penn State transfer Jaxon Smolik started against the Nittany Lions in Week 2, but Sheppard took over the job in full after getting some second-half run.
He may not have the accuracy to profile as a Power 4 starter, yet he is No. 10 in the country in EPA/dropback and brings real dual-threat ability. In a run-heavy Temple offense, that efficiency gets some help, but Sheppard has shown enough to look like a useful addition to a quarterback room.
Hauss Hejny at Colorado State is a different kind of bet. Injuries have limited his first season there, but when he has been on the field, he has looked like one of the best G6 quarterbacks in the country.
A former blue-chip recruit who committed to TCU and spent 2025 at Oklahoma State, Hejny can hurt defenses with his legs, but his running ability mostly serves to buy time for a strong arm. He can make the tough opposite-hash throws expected from a Power 4 quarterback, and he has been consistently accurate on screens and swings.
If his return from injury produces more good film, bigger programs will come calling.
Braden Atkinson of Oregon State also belongs on the monitor list. The Mercer transfer and freshman wideout Jesse Legree have torn through Pac-12 defenses in one of the sport’s most productive offenses, and Atkinson has also held up against P4 opponents in Houston and Texas Tech.
He may not have the elite physical traits that pop immediately, but he releases it quickly, throws with accuracy and avoids sacks. If Legree came along, that would only help, but Atkinson should draw transfer-up interest on his own.
There are also more proven passers who could fit as either a starter or a serious challenger. Austin Mack at Alabama has still never made a start after following Kalen DeBoer from Washington, sitting behind Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Keelon Russell.
He lost the offseason battle to Russell, but that comes with context: at 6-foot-6 and 237 pounds, with a former top-recruit pedigree and age still only 20 because of his reclassification, Mack has the kind of profile that can travel well. Lincoln Kienholz and Kenny Minchey have already turned similar second chances into starting jobs this season, and Mack could be next.
Then there are the reclamation types. NC State’s CJ Bailey has already had the kind of mistake that sticks - the fumble in the end zone in the loss to Vanderbilt - and he is not a high-level processor.
Still, at 6-foot-6 with enough arm strength to push the ball downfield, he can flash NFL-caliber traits when he settles in. As a one-year flyer, he would not be a bad gamble.
DJ Lagway at Baylor is another name with a ceiling Penn State would have trouble matching in the portal market. The former five-star was supposed to use this stretch as his reset after two seasons at Florida, but after Baylor’s loss to TCU, Dave Aranda’s future is suddenly in question.
If Aranda is dismissed, Lagway could be available, and his arm talent is the kind that turns heads immediately. His father, Derek, was a running back at Baylor, so Waco may still be his long-term home, but if the door opens, Penn State would have to at least look.
The biggest swings sit at the top of the list. Maryland’s Malik Washington was one of the most impressive true freshmen in the country in 2025 despite playing behind a receiver group that finished near the top of the nation in drops.
This season, though, his situation has gone the other direction, and his numbers do not tell the whole story. The talent is real, and away from College Park, he would have a much better shot to show it.
At No. 1 is Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, the sort of quarterback that programs chase even when the odds say they probably shouldn’t land him. Tosh Lupoi made him a priority from the jump, even flying to Hawaii to keep him in place, but then he paired him with an offensive coordinator who had literally never called plays, not even at the high school level.
Cal, like Maryland with Washington, has not helped its quarterback. Unlike Maryland, though, Cal likely will not be making a head coach change, which makes JKS harder to pry away from Berkeley.
Even so, he is the dream swing, however unlikely.
Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor and Pitt’s Mason Heintschel also fit the broader category of talented quarterbacks with upside, but it would be a shock if Penn State seriously went after them. Washington may be the only name from that tier that makes real sense to keep in mind.
In Other News...
Penn State Title Chase Now Hinges On Two Huge Lineup Decisions
Penn States path back into the center of the national title conversation is getting a boost at two key weights, with Cael Sanderson saying Tyler Kasak and Josh Barr are expected to be fully recovered and back in competition. Both wrestlers were injured at the U.S. Open in April, but each has now resumed hard work, giving the Nittany Lions added clarity as lineup planning starts to sharpen.
Kasak is projected to slot in at 157 pounds, while Barr is returning with the kind of expectations that go beyond simply filling a spot. For a program that measures seasons by March more than by anything else, those two decisions carry real weight, and Penn State now has to see how quickly both can settle back in and contend for top honors. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Recruiting Problem Matt Campbell Can't Ignore
Penn States recruiting picture took another jolt when 2027 quarterback commit Will Wood backed off his pledge and picked Boston College instead. It is the kind of move that can happen early in a cycle, but it still lands with extra weight for a program trying to steady itself and keep its future classes on track.
Matt Campbell said his staff is working across multiple recruiting classes while also trying not to lose sight of the team in front of them. For Penn State, that balance matters right now: the staff has to keep pushing on the trail, keep evaluating what comes next, and still find a way to help the current roster improve enough to make those conversations easier. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Quarterback Move Changes How Penn State Fans May View That Loss
Tommy Carr is in line to make his first career start for Michigan against Indiana after his effective relief work against Penn State, a move that should at least prompt a little rethinking in State College about the sting of that loss. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said the staff has settled on a starter, though he stopped short of naming Carr publicly, and also made clear he feels good about Carrs preparation and football IQ.
Bryce Underwood, who had been the starter before the change, is expected to stay on the sideline unless the Wolverines need him because of injury or performance issues. For Penn State, the bigger takeaway is less about who Michigan is starting next and more about what that quarterback decision says about how the Wolverines viewed the game Carr helped swing in relief. [Read more 🡒]