Penn State coach Taylor Stubblefield talks Cristian Driver's position switch, Kaden Saunders' development, more

Penn State coach James Franklin made headlines on Wednesday night when he revealed that the plan for freshman Cristian Driver is to have him at receiver exclusively following this season. On Thursday, position coach Taylor Stubblefield was on ZOOM with reporters. He covered numerous topics, which we’ll get to below.

But, immediately, the focus was on the son of former Green Bay Packers great Donald Driver preparing to play his dad’s old position after starting his Lions career at corner.

“I think that we we’ve had very honest dialogue throughout the whole process of recruiting Cristian and his family,” Stubblefield said. “We gave him the option to start off at DB, and if we or he felt more comfortable moving to the offensive side of the ball, he would have that opportunity to try out both.And, so I think Cristian feels more comfortable at the wide receiver spot.

“He’s done a really good job at the DB spot as well. He is talented, he is athletic enough to have the opportunity to play both. And so, once the season’s done or or, as we kind of move throughout the end of this season, we’re going to transition to figuring out the best spot for him. And, it looks like it’s going to be receiver.”

Here’s a look at what else Stubblefield had to say.

How are Penn State freshman receiver Kaden Saunders and Omari Evans developing?

Penn State freshman receiver Kaden Saunders was a highly-regarded former four-star recruit. It led many to think he’d be an instant impact contributor. That has not yet been the case, however. But, the Ohio native is progressing well in year one.

“Kaden is extremely rationale,” Stubblefield said. “He realizes how hard it is to play college football, let alone as a freshman. He came to Penn State with a period of time when he was maybe having a whole bunch of ice cream and not training as much as he should have. I don’t think he’s frustrated or sad, I think he’s determined. These last few weeks, he’s done a little bit of development squad work, and that is always good for a young guy.

“You’re getting work and having some success against the first-team, and that builds confidence. He ran a couple of routes yesterday where he looks fast, is getting more polished, and developing. And, that’s what it’s all about. Kaden’s determined.”

Classmate Omari Evans, on the other hand, has already burned his redshirt and is an oft-used part of the offense as he continues to refine his skills at the position. A former high school quarterback, he was always going to play receiver at the next level.

“I absolutely think the ceiling that Omari has is extremely high,” Stubblefield said. “When somebody has played QB in HS for the majority of his career, there are certain body positions that his body has not been into playing QB. And so, he has that speed, and unbelievable explosiveness. It’s just about putting his body consistently in position to be explosive, and elusive, and make a play. This last week and a half I have challenged him like crazy. He is really working on it these last two weeks of putting himself in a position to be effective.

“He’s putting that in right now to get to the end result of being an elite WR at Penn State. And, we’re working toward that.”

Liam Clifford is coming on, too

Stubblefield was also asked to discuss the improvement he’s seen from redshirt freshman Liam Clifford. He’s seen increased playing time of late, especially late in games, and seems to have a strong connection with backup quarterback Drew Allar.

“It’s taken Liam a little bit of time to trust how explosive he can be,” Stubblefield said. “There’s been moments where he’s been like the stock market, up and down. He’s hit a point of consistent play. He’s capitalized on it. We celebrated as a staff, and it’s a small thing that guys don’t notice, but he caught a screen a couple of weeks back, and it was very similar to a route he caught last week, where he put the ball in the inside arm and went vertical [the first time].

“But the design of the play is outside arm and get outside. The first one gained five yards. The last one 15. It’s little things like that, that he’s really starting to engrain in him. He’s like ‘alright, they’re coaching this, and I’m seeing the results.’ I’m happy for him. He’s a really good teammate.”