'He's a Penn State Legend'
PASADENA, Calif. | On Monday night, as Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford toured the Rose Bowl Stadium with a rose between his teeth, Liam Clifford reflected on the two years he spent playing football with his big brother. Sitting at his locker, marveling at Sean's Rose Bowl MVP performance. Liam Clifford summed their relationship and his brother's legacy.
"First of all, he's my best friend," said Liam, a wide receiver. "And from a football standpoint, he's a Penn State legend. I think he solidified his legacy tonight, for sure."
Sean Clifford played the game of his career on its grandest stage, leading Penn State to a 35-21 victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl. The game's offensive MVP completed 16 of 22 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, including the longest touchdown pass in Rose Bowl history. Pro Football Focus graded Clifford's performance at 92.5, the highest of his four-year starting career.
Penn State coach James Franklin called a fourth-quarter timeout to give Clifford a curtain call, prompting a rousing ovation from the Penn State fans reveling in a light rain that greeted the game's end. An hour after the game, Clifford returned to the field, knelt in the end zone and took one last look.
That Rose Bowl curtain call completed a circle for Clifford, who became Penn State's all-time leader in quarterback victories (32). He became the first Penn State quarterback to attempt more than 1,300 passes, complete more than 800 and throw for more than 10,000 career yards. And he still finished as the program's career leader in completion percentage (61.4).
"I couldn't have wrote the script any better for Sean Clifford to be the offensive MVP," Franklin said.
That script certainly took some stressful turns, from being benched during the 2020 COVID season to being unable to finish the 2022 Outback Bowl to being booed at home before the White Out game against Minnesota.
"Getting booed at his own stadium, I've never seen something like that," defensive tackle PJ Mustipher told reporters after the Rose Bowl.
But the whole time, Liam Clifford remained his brother's constant. They never played on a team together until Liam joined the roster as a freshman in 2021. This season, Sean completed his first pass to Liam in any game.
Sean and Liam roomed together on the road, doing so for the last time at the Rose Bowl. Sunday night was like any other, Liam said, as Sean insisted on maintaining the same routine he had through 45 previous starts.
Liam called his brother "the best leader I've ever been around," one who can unite players and people from every background. And though they never connected for a touchdown pass, the Clifford brothers went one better. They became entrepreneurs, starting Limitless NIL, an NIL agency run by players for players. Liam Clifford is the CEO, and Sean is the chief development officer.
Even in the Rose Bowl locker room, Liam Clifford was looking ahead.
"We wanted to take NIL to a different level," Liam Clifford said. "When we decided we wanted to start an agency, we took the good, the bad and the ugly we both saw — him from being a big-time guy, an older guy, and me being a guy without many snaps at the time. And we've got a lot of big things planned for 2023."
Penn State receiver Liam Clifford played two seasons with older brother Sean, capping their college careers together in the Rose Bowl.
Matthew O'Haren/USA Today Sports
Franklin and Clifford sat together in the post-game media session, where the head coach gave his quarterback another sendoff. "A lot of ups, a few downs," Franklin said of Clifford's career. "Appreciate that, coach," the quarterback replied.
"I just can't thank everybody enough for my experience at Penn State," Clifford said. "I cherished every minute of it, the ups and the downs. I just couldn't be more thankful."
Up next: Clifford and his girlfriend are going to Iceland, then he'll play in the Hula Bowl all-star game before beginning NFL combine training in Florida. But back in the Rose Bowl locker room, Liam Clifford wanted his brother to get a proper farewell.
"I would personally say he’s the greatest Penn State quarterback in history," Liam Clifford said. "Obviously I'm a little biased being his little brother, but his legacy at Penn State is that. His legacy for me is being my best friend."
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