James Franklin discusses Penn State quarterback situation for first time in 2022; here's what he said
Penn State is set to enter spring practice next month with four scholarship quarterbacks.
There is no question, however, about which player will lead the room.
Head coach James Franklin was asked to discuss his situation under center during his first news conference of 2022 on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions return multi-year starter Sean Clifford and now second-year passer Christian Veilleux. Penn State also added January enrollees Drew Allar, a five-star from Ohio, and Beau Pribula, a three-star from York, Pa., to offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s group this offseason.
“Sean’s our returning starter,” Franklin said. “There’s no doubt about that. But, yeah, there’s competition at every position.”
What could a Penn State quarterback competition look like?
Many Penn State fans have spent the early part of the offseason clamoring for the idea that Clifford should be pushed, or perhaps even replaced, by one of the other passers on the roster. Franklin’s words made clear what everyone should have known, however: It’s No. 14’s job to lose.
Clifford announced that he would be back for a sixth year in blue and white in December. He holds numerous program records but has battled injuries that have affected his play. At times, he has been terrific. At others, his accuracy has been erratic and he’s struggled with turnovers, among other things. But, with all that said, he’s started so many games for a reason.
Spring practice is typically a time when veterans participate in fewer drills while younger players receive more reps than they would during either fall camp or a game week. So, don’t be shocked if reports indicate throughout March and April that Veilleux, Allar, and Pribula are all taking snaps with the first-team offense. But, each has an extraordinarily tall mountain to climb to actually surpass Clifford by the time Penn State opens its 2022 season on Sept. 3 at Purdue.
“Sean’s our returning starter,” Franklin said. “There’s no doubt about that. But, yeah, there’s competition at every position. “Obviously, it’s more challenging at any position to unseat a returning starter whose been doing it for a couple of years.
“But, there’s competition across the board at every single position. And, you rebuild your team every single year. And there’ll be competition at every single position, including the quarterback position.”
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Setting the quarterback stage
Penn State may have the most talent in its quarterback room overall of the Franklin era.
Clifford has won 21 games in blue and white. His official roster bio has three sections totaling nearly 900 words regarding the all-time, single-season, and individual game records he’s set. Penn State knows what it has in the veteran, who has an On3 NIL Valuation of $172,000, for better and worse.
Then, there is Veilleux. He was an On3 Consensus four-star recruit. He also earned his first win as a Lion in Penn State’s 2021 win over Rutgers.
Allar and Pribula, meanwhile, are highly-regarded newcomers. Allar was a top-30 player nationally and top-four Class of 2022 quarterback by both the On3 Consensus rankings and On3’s. Pribula received quality marks from scouts, as well.
All will push to try and unseat Clifford. It won’t be easy but there will be a competition. In other words, it will be business as usual for Penn State until it is not in 2022.
