How do anonymous Big Ten coaches view Penn State in 2022? Sean Clifford's return called 'huge' and more
Penn State football talked plenty about itself in back at Big Ten Media Days last week. Now, it’s time to hear what anonymous conference coaches have to say about the Nittany Lions.
Each offseason, Athlon Sports rounds up quotes from people within college football who don’t have to give their name in exchange for providing honest feedback. Some might consider it simply offering rivals a chance to take a free pot shot. Others see it as insightful commentary that we wouldn’t otherwise receive. Regardless of your point of view, it always makes for an interesting read.
Here’s what was said about head coach James Franklin’s team this year.
All eyes on Clifford
It shouldn’t be a surprise that when asked to give an outlook on the Lions this year, other coaches quickly brought up program veteran and multi-year starting quarterback Sean Clifford.
“Sean Clifford coming back is absolutely huge for them,” one anonymous coach told Athlon Sports. “I know they have his replacement signed, but having him back with that much experience and [OC Mike] Yurcich in Year 2 is gonna be huge for them. They’ve been really ineffective since [Joe] Moorhead left.
“They’ve got to fix the offensive line; they couldn’t run and they could pass protect. That’s how they ended up losing that much down the stretch. They’ve been recruiting well at OL, and they need immediate results there. They’re turning over the backfield, so the new guys have to come up big for them.”
That last part is only somewhat true, of course. Penn State returns starter Keyvone Lee plus reserves Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes. But, it would be naive to suggest that the conference isn’t aware of what freshman Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen could accomplish as freshman. And, otherwise, the rest is fair and hard to argue with. Though, you could certainly pick at the “ineffective since [Joe] Mooread” part. Ricky Rahne and his offenses had more success at Penn State than he is given credit for.
Added another Big Ten coach:
“You would think this is a really hungry team and staff because they’ve fallen off the last few years, and they’re not as relevant nationally.
“Clifford needs protection, and they need to get creative with the playmakers they’ve got. Having an experienced passer and not installing a new system is a huge win for them. This could be a bounce-back season.”
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New Penn State defense is in focus, too
Penn State foes in 2022 will have to deal with something they haven’t had to since 2016: A new Nittany Lions defensive coordinator.
Manny Diaz was brought in to replace Brent Pry, who took the head coaching job at Virginia Tech in Dec. 2021. He is bringing an aggressive style of play with him that opponents will need to be ready for.
“Manny [Diaz] is gonna be really aggressive and press those young guys,” an unnamed Big Ten coach said.
“It was no shock James grabbed him up; he’ll be a head coach on that defense. They’ve got some nice players, especially in the back end. They’ll go single high, they’ll blitz, they’ll get after it right away.”
Another coach added this:
“[DC Brent] Pry leaving is a huge deal because he’s been with James [Franklin] forever.”
It certainly was a loss for Franklin. But, this may be his most talented staff top-to-bottom, and they must have the players ready to go on Sept. 1.
