Penn State’s fate keeps getting worse this season. With Drew Allar lost to a season-ending ankle injury against Northwestern and backup Jaxon Smolik exiting early against Iowa, the Nittany Lions’ quarterback room is now hanging by a thread. The struggles haven’t been limited to the offense, though. The team also had a rocky start with a key defensive weapon sidelined, raising concerns on both sides of the ball. On Wednesday, interim coach Terry Smith finally provided an update on the team’s overall health moving forward.

To compensate for Allar’s absence, the coaching staff had been splitting snaps between Smolik and Grunkemeyer, similar to previous rotations involving Beau Pribula and Allar. During the Iowa game, Smolik carried the ball four times for three yards before stepping out due to injury. Smith offered little clarity on his status, “We’ve got this bye week, so we’re going to take that time to see where he is. But there’s no update right now.”

On the defensive side, there’s at least a glimmer of hope. DE Chaz Coleman was out of the Iowa game as he’s recovering from an illness that impacted his game since the UCLA game, and on top of that, his skill set wasn’t suited for Iowa’s run-heavy offense. Now, providing an update on his availability, Smith said, “He’s just now getting healthy. And then with the Iowa game, Chaz is more of a pass rusher, and he didn’t fit the game plan for what Iowa was going to bring. They were going to run the ball, and he’s a little thinner on that side. That’s why Yvan [Kemajou] played a lot more.”

After missing out on practice against Northwestern, Coleman’s absence in Iowa’s game raised many questions. As this guy played in all five games, recording seven tackles, three for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. Now, this recent update of his being healthy offers some hope for a defense that has been stretched thin.

On the offensive side, however, Smolik’s first career start halted abruptly after fumbling and getting tackled; he came back with ice wrapped on his left arm. Losing a backup quarterback at this point is significant, especially with Grunkemeyer as the only other experienced QB and freshman Bekkem Kritza just returning from injury.

With inconsistent performance this season, even injuries have made things tough for Penn State. But in the middle of all the chaos, who’s finally going to fill James Franklin’s spot?

Penn State eyeing replacements for James Franklin

Matt Rhule, Mike Elko, and many other successful coaches’ names keep popping up to replace James Franklin this season, knowing their ties with the university. But of all of them, Urban Meyer came in with a completely different name. After winning three national championships with Florida and Ohio State, Meyer knows what he’s talking about, and according to him, UNLV’s Dan Mullen is the ultimate man for Penn State.

Shocking, right? Yet he’s the one for Meyer. “How about Dan Mullen?” Meyer said. “… Scored 51 last week. And you know he’s from the Northeast, by the way.” Now, Mullen might sound a bit off, but his resume shows his caliber. After working as an ESPN analyst since getting out of Florida in 2021, he was at Mississippi State, too. Now, from Florida to UNLV, Mullen boasts a 109-61 record, and that’s genuinely impressive.

This season they are 6-0 in the league and hold the no. 32 position in offense, so it’s pretty clear why Meyer thinks he’s the one for Penn State. Let’s wait and see who finally takes up the reins.