Sizing up Penn State's New Offense with Kirk Ciarrocca
Nine months after becoming Penn State's offensive coordinator, Kirk Ciarrocca is about to run his system with players in pads for the first time.
Penn State is scheduled to resume training camp Sept. 30 ahead of its Oct. 24 opener at Indiana. Ciarrocca last week joined host Steve Jones on the Penn State Coaches Show to discuss the return process and his early thoughts on the offense.
Here are some highlights.
What did the return announcement mean for the players and coaches?
Ciarrocca: I've been doing this a long time, and I'm really excited and I think the excitement level will pick up a little bit. But at the same time, it's a credit to the culture and the leadership we have that I've been absolutely blown away with the way [the players have] come out and gone about their business with all the uncertainty about whether they were even going to get a chance to play and whether it mattered. Once we got out on that field here in September, I just was amazed at their focus and intensity and concentration.
How have the offensive installations gone?
Ciarrocca: We’ve been able to take each segment that we’ve had with our guys and take advantage of what we can do within the constraints of what kind of equipment we’ve been able to have on. So the players have done a great job in grasping the system and are starting to master the details in it, and the coaches have done a great job in it. So I feel pretty good about where we’ve gotten to based on the constraints we’ve had. Would we have loved to have full contact practices? Absolutely. But nobody else had it, either.
How is quarterback Sean Clifford developing?
Ciarrocca: I’m seeing a guy who’s very talented. He can throw and run. He’s a natural leader, a guy who is extremely driven and committed to being the best player he can possibly be. His actions are constantly backing up that vision, that thought process, that he has for himself. He takes coaching really easily. He wants to be coached, which is a trait that, with an exceptional player, anybody at a very high level, you always hear that about them. ... I can’t say enough good things about him.
What about quarterback Will Levis?
Ciarrocca: Will's a guy who has a high level of intelligence, a lot of talent, a big arm. It might be as strong an arm as I've been around. Will doesn’t have quite the amount of experiences that Sean has had, so he’s still learning some of the things Sean has experienced out there. But he's a super-talented, super-tough guy and a guy who can beat you with his arms and his legs.
What do you think of the tight ends, especially now that Pat Freiermuth has said he will play?
Ciarrocca: I've got to tell you, that's one of the most exciting things for me right now working with this crew: the potential at that position to impact the game. I haven’t really had a tight end [group] like that since I was at Delaware [in 2012], so I know what a great weapon they can be. These guys, they have multiple skills. Not only can they line up as an inline tight end and knock you off the ball, but they could line up and run routes like wide receivers. ... At Minnesota, we were developing that position still, and we didn’t have the athletes that these guys are. We were working to recruit in that area and to upgrade to have these multi-talented guys at the tight end position. I can’t wait to see how they add to the offensive system.
Get the latest Penn State news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our AllPennState page. Mobile users click the notification bell. And please follow AllPennState on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
