Of all the questions facing Penn State football this offseason, few will dictate the course of the Nittany Lions’ 2021 season more than the play of its quarterback, whoever that might be.
At this point there appears to be no reason to assume that returning two-year starter Sean Clifford won’t be tabbed to take over the starting role for a third year. However, as Clifford struggled throughout the 2020 season, all the way to a brief benching, it would appear likely that Penn State coach James Franklin and his staff to in the very least shop around in the transfer portal once rosters settle following the conclusion of spring practice.
“We’re gonna be as aggressive as we have to be at every position to help our football program,” Franklin said when asked about the prospect of quarterback transferring in earlier this offseason. “And if there’s something that makes sense and clearly makes us better. Then we’re going to look at it […] that’s a responsibility that we have to have for our entire organization and for every position.”
Of course if Clifford himself were to transfer he would likely be the best available quarterback on the market, which makes the likelihood of finding a better option – in spite of Clifford’s experience and skills – low. Although as backup Will Levis opted to transfer to Kentucky in recent months, Penn State appears poised to bring in a quarterback if for no other reason to enhance the depth of a quarterback room that only has two scholarship options – incoming freshman Christian Villeux and redshirt freshman Ta’Quan Roberson.
Roberson has been with the program for three years but like all student athletes did not lose any eligibility during the 2020 COVID-19 impacted season so he still remains listed as a redshirt freshman.
All told the health and safety of Clifford may stand to be the second most important thing to his actual play. Clifford missed time in 2019-20 due to injury and had his fair share of bumps along the way during a shortened 2020 campaign.
“I had him on a totally different program this winter that I think was really what he needed,” Penn State strength coach Dwight Galt said on Thursday. “You know from continuing to improve his ability to perform on the field physically but also to make sure his body is as bulletproof as possible.”
Clifford ran the ball 99 times in 2020 through nine games of action. That mark would have put him well past his 116 carries in 2019. Penn State also gave up 28 sacks last season, a total with some shared hits between Clifford and battering-ram quarterback Levis. That’s not quite as bad as the 44 sacks given up in 2014 or the 38 in 2015, but it’s a toll that adds up over time.
So it’s a toll you have to prepare the body for.
“We’re not expecting Sean to take more punishment this year than he has in the past,” Galt added. “but he benches to be 350, he’s a 300 pound cleaner he squatted just short of 500. Philosophically we’re not training quarterbacks know it’s a quarterback slash running back. We’ve had great success with a quarterbacks making plays with their legs.”
Clifford’s usage in the run game seems unlikely to match Levis’ in 2021 given the disparity in size, but while Clifford doesn’t share quite the same playmaking abilities as his running predecessor Trace McSorley, the junior has shown on more than one occasion that using his legs is a worthwhile exchange for the occasional hit.
“I just kind of took him to the next level,” Galt said. “He’s almost 23. He’s got a great foundation. I you know I really wanted to focus on a lot of unilateral one leg, one arm type of things with him for stability. Not only to help prevent injury but also to improve performance. One leg was a little bit [..] not quite as strong as the other. So we corrected that. So it’s just been kind of a different approach and he works just as hard. His program was just as aggressive as everybody else, but it’s just more tailored to what the what he really needed on with his training, age, and his physical situation.”
In the long run Clifford’s health will be key to Penn State’s success, but so will his overall play healthy or not. A turnover happy 2020 repeated in 2021 won’t get the Nittany Lions where they want to go, and while Penn State is unlikely to repeat its 0-5 start even if Clifford doesn’t round back into his 2019 form, Franklin and company might be hard pressed to repeat the entire experience again in 2022 if Clifford were to return for a fourth year as a starter following back-to-back underwhelming seasons.
Enter new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, the other side of the equation to Galt. While the veteran strength coach will look to keep Clifford healthy and on his feet with deeper and more accurate throws down the field, Yurcich will be charged with working the other muscle: the mind.
“The biggest thing going for the quarterbacks is Mike Yurcich,” Galt said of the former Oklahoma State, Texas and Ohio State coordinator. “So, you know, Mike has come in and has taken this offense over in a very emphatic way, it has just been great and everybody’s rallied around him.”
