When Penn State hired Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin to be its next head coach, Franklin brought with him the bulk of his coaching staff. He also ended up bringing one of his top commitments from Vanderbilt to State College with quarterback [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag]. Few would realize it at the time, but this may have been the best person to follow Franklin to Penn State from Vanderbilt.
McSorley started off his Penn State career backing up Christian Hackenberg, the top quarterback recruit of the brief Bill O’Brien era, but it would not be long before McSorley got his moment in the sun. In what turned out to be Hackenberg’s final game, a TaxSlayer Bowl loss to Georgia, McSorley came in to relieve an injured Hackenberg and nearly led a memorable comeback for the Nittany Lions. But his second-half performance breathed new life into the offense and McSorley was well on his way to rewriting the Penn State passing record book in the next few years. His successor, Sean Clifford, went on to knock McSorley into second place in the school’s all-time passing yardage and passing touchdown leaderboard, but it is safe to say McSorley will forever be recognized as one of Penn State’s top passers, and most likeable figures.
Here is a look back at some of the best photos from McSorley’s career at Penn State.