Penn State positional outlook: Breaking down the quarterbacks

BWI is analyzing the depth and overall outlook of each Penn State football position group at this point in the offseason, starting today with the quarterbacks.

Positional scholarship chart:

*Italics indicate player took a redshirt.

Position	Seniors	Juniors	Sophomores	Freshmen
QB	Sean Clifford			Drew Allar Beau Pribula Christian Veilleux

Sixth year:

Sean Clifford

Penn State’s veteran starting quarterback announced his intent to return for another year, and will be the presumptive favorite to spend a fourth season as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback.

Clifford finished the 2021 season with 3,107 yards, 21 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and completed 61 percent of his passes.

He rushed 99 times for 162 yards as well, finding the end zone twice. He received a 70.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season, ranking him 166th of 292 FBS QBs who met PFF’s snap minimum.

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“Sean’s got really high aspirations,” James Franklin told ESPN radio after Clifford’s decision. “He was a finalist for the academic Heisman this year [the William V. Campbell Trophy]. Has really done some good things. Guys, you know, he’s playing lights out, and we’re undefeated, and we’re winning against Iowa on the road and Sean gets hurt and was hurt for a couple of weeks after that. It impacted Sean, and obviously, it impacted our team.

“So you know, after talking with his family and talking with me, he wants to leave Penn State the right way, which is putting Penn State in the best position to be successful on a national level, but also putting Sean in the best position to get drafted as high as possible and also to make a team.”

Fifth year:

None

Fourth year:

None

Third year:

None

Second year:

Christian Veilleux

Veilleux appeared in two games for the Nittany Lions during his true freshman campaign.

Penn State fans got an extended look at him against Rutgers, when he deputized for Clifford, who was sick.

Veilleux completed 15 of his 24 pass attempts in that game for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 10 times for 36 yards, leading the Nittany Lions to an easy win.

“He just keeps getting better,” Franklin said after that game.

“I was proud of him. It’s just how poised he was today. Very poised, made some plays with his leg, made some big-time throws, made some checks. Obviously, it’s something to build on.”

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First year:

Drew Allar

Rarely has an incoming Penn State freshman generated more buzz and optimism than Allar.

The Ohio native is a five-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus, the No. 3 QB in the class and the No. 27 overall prospect.

An early enrollee, he’s already on campus getting a head start.

“He does a great job making some of the plays that aren’t in the playbook in terms of extending plays and off-balance throws with unbelievable accuracy and playmaking ability,” Franklin said at Penn State’s signing day event. “He was able to make some plays with his feet, too. Another kid that just handled the process extremely well, is embracing the competition.”

Beau Pribula

Rounding out the scholarship players in Penn State’s QB room is another true freshman in Pribula.

Pribula garnered a three-star rating from the On3 Consensus, as the No. 25 QB in the class and the No. 453 prospect overall.

Like Allar, he enrolled early this winter.

“You look at the numbers he was able to put up and the wins they were able to have this year, it was a special year,” Franklin. “He made plays with his feet, he made plays with his arm. His touchdown to interception ratio was fantastic. His completion percentage was fantastic. Coach [Gerry] Yonchiuk did an unbelievable job with him. Also, he never wavered. He really embraces competition, and I couldn’t be more excited about him and more proud.”