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.