Tag: Taquan Roberson

James Franklin says there is work to do with Penn State QBs before the fall

With spring football practices in the books, look for James Franklin to see what’s available on the quarterback transfer market.

One of the biggest stroylines during spring football practices at Penn Statew has been what will the program do to address the depth at the quarterback position. Head coach James Franklin has not been shy about suggesting there is room to improve the position on the depth chart as far as experience and readiness is concerned, and his post-spring press conference Friday night once again drove that point home.

“I’ve been pleased with Sean [Clifford] this spring. I’ve been pleased with Ta’Quan [Roberson] and Christian [Veilleux] as well,” Franklin said Friday night when asked about his quarterbacks. “But, between now and fall, there’s a lot that needs to get worked on. I think that’s one of the probably exciting things at the quarterback position. You can work on that.”

After losing two quarterbacks form the roster via the transfer portal this offseason (WIll Levis to Kentucky and Micah Bowens to Oklahoma), Franklin said form the start of the spring Penn State would ideally like to add to the roster after evaluating where things stand at the end of the spring. Although Franklin was hopeful one of Roberson or Veilleux would make a strong enough case to be the backup for the fall, the lack of experience still concerns the head coach of the Nittany Lions moving into the summer.

“I don’t think you’re ever comfortable at the quarterback position until those guys have gotten game reps,” Franklin said when asked about his comfort with the quarterback depth. “But, having guys that don’t have reps and haven’t played critical game reps at significant moments, you’re never completely comfortable because you never know how guys are going to react when they get in there.”

Penn State is expected to explore the potential options in the transfer portal, including players already currently sitting in the database and those who will later be added to the portal between now and the end of the summer. With spring practices wrapping up around the country, more players will be likely to enter their names in the NCAA’s transfer portal, but Franklin has said before Penn State has to find the player that feels like the right fit. According to Franklin’s previous statements, Penn State won’t add from the transfer portal just to add a player to the roster. The Nittany Lions want to be relatively selective and ensure they are bringing in a player that can be a confident backup to Sean Clifford and can fit the offensive style new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is bringing to the program.

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Penn State football spring cleaning: 5 things the Nittany Lions need to address now for success in 2021

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What James Franklin thinks about his quarterbacks with three spring practicies remaining

James Franklin says his backup quarterbacks are still in need of more practice time before stepping onto the field when needed.

Penn State’s offense was not short on storylines worth following this spring in Happy Valley. But one of the top items on the spring cleaning list at the end of the spring has been figuring out what to do with the quarterback situation. After Saturday’s practice in Beaver Stadium, head coach James Franklin offered his updated opinion on the quarterback picture for Penn State with one final week of spring practices remaining.

As expected, Sean Clifford is essentially cemented as the team’s starting quarterback for the fall. This will be his third season as the starting quarterback. The addition of new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich appears to have gotten off to a positive start with Clifford’s continued development this spring.

“I think Sean’s done some really good things this spring. I think Mike has really been impressed,” Franklin said in his post-practice conference call with Penn State media on Saturday. “From what I’ve seen, in terms of Sean’s approach, it’s really important to Sean. He works really hard at it. He prepares like you’re supposed to prepare.”

This should come as no surprise, as Clifford has been a leader on the offense the past couple of seasons. He has also expressed how the roller coaster of the 2020 season may have helped him in the long run as he works on his approach to the game through thick and thin.

The biggest concern with the quarterbacks is the depth or the lack of experience behind Clifford. On Saturday, Ta’Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux got their chance to hit the playing field and lead the offense, with some individual ups and downs for sure. As franklin mentioned, both need much more time to be fully ready to step in should Penn State be faced with a situation where Clifford has to come off the field.

NEXT: James Franklin updates thoughts on QB Depth

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Penn State Blue-White game preview: 5 questions for the offense

Penn State’s offense has been the main story of the spring. On Saturday, fans will get to see what the fuss is all about.

Penn State’s spring football practice schedule will culminate this weekend with the final spring practice being held on Saturday inside Beaver Stadium. A small fraction of fans will be allowed to enter through the gates of Beaver Stadium for the first time since 2019, which is exciting on its own, but the offense of the Nittany Lions has a real chance to offer its own form of excitement. The Blue-White Game, in whatever form it will hold this week, should offer a glimpse of big things to come, but just how much of that will we see in live action?

With a new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich, a third-year starting quarterback in Sena Clifford, and one of the Big Ten’s top wide receivers in Jahan Dotson, the key ingredients for a fun offense appear to be in place. Here are five questions about the offense to keep in mind this weekend.

1. Just how much of the Mike Yurcich offense will we actually see?

Penn State made an upgrade on the coaching staff this offseason with the addition of Mike Yurcich, formerly of Texas. Yurcich inherits an offense that got off to a tough start in 2020 but started to turn a corner in the second half of the season. There is no question Yurcich has some good players to work with in the Penn State offense, but for reasons that will be outlined in a moment, it may not be fair to judge the status of the Penn State offense based on whatever is shown off on Saturday.

Saturday’s final spring practice will not likely be a showcase for all that will be unfolding in the Yurcich offense, either because some of the key players may not be on the field long enough to get a chance to shine the way they may in the fall. Instead, this could be a good opportunity to see what some other players on the roster have to offer.

Speaking of which…

2. What will the quarterback situation look like after the spring game?

One of the biggest questions Penn State head coach James Franklin has faced this offseason has been what he will do with the quarterback situation after the spring. Sean Clifford is without hesitation the team’s starting quarterback, but the experience and depth behind him is a looming concern following the transfer of Will Levis (to Kentucky) and Micah Bowens (to Oklahoma).

How much time in the final spring practice is dedicated to Sean Clifford may be relatively brief. Instead, this will serve as a good opportunity to get more reps for backups Taquan Roberson and Christian Veilleux. If all goes well, both will show they have blossomed this spring and given Franklin and Yurcich much more confidence about what they have on the depth chart behind Clifford. Otherwise, Penn State’s search in the transfer portal could intensify in a hurry.

Next: Brenton Strange taking charge at tight end

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Penn State football spring cleaning: 5 things the Nittany Lions need to address now for success in 2021

Penn State hopes to wrap up spring football feeling good about the 2021 season but what work could need to be done heading into the summer?

Penn State is in the midst of its spring football practices. A year after not having a chance to go through a typical spring, James Franklin and his Nittany Lions are embracing the opportunity to put in the work to potentially lead to a much stronger start to the 2021 season after last year’s dismal beginning.

After a stretch of three 11-win seasons in four years, highlighted by victories in the Fiesta Bowl and Cotton Bowl, Penn State’s national image took a bit of a bruising after a 4-5 2020 season. Despite lowered expectations on the national radar, there are some good reasons to be optimistic about what Penn State can accomplish in the fall despite having a challenging schedule on its hands.

A new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich combined with a third-year starting quarterback figures to put Penn State in a good spot for a solid start on offense. This is especially true with the emergence of one of the Big Ten’s top wide receivers in Jahan Dotson. But now is as good a time as any for Penn State to clean things up a little bit around the roster.

Here are a few things on the spring cleaning to-do list for the Nittany Lions that must be addressed if Penn State is going to be in the mix for a Big Ten championship in the fall.