What Penn State's Mike Yurcich Wants in a Quarterback
Mike Yurcich, Penn State's new offensive coordinator, has coached a range of quarterbacks in his eight years of Power 5 football. He helped Mason Rudolph to consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons at Oklahoma State, Ohio State's Justin Fields to a third-place finish in the 2019 Heisman Trophy voting and Sam Ehlinger to a 26-touchdown season at Texas in 2020.
What's more, at Oklahoma State in 2018, Yurcich guided former walk-on Taylor Cornelius to a prolific season (3,978 yards passing, 32 touchdowns). So Yurcich's recent history suggests that he should infuse some new energy into Penn State's quarterback room.
The position needs it. Head coach James Franklin wasn't thrilled with the group's production in 2020, a season in which 14 of the team's 16 turnovers were attributed to the quarterbacks. Two of them (Will Levis and Micah Bowens) entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after Franklin announced Yurcich's hiring. Bowens ultimately committed to Oklahoma.
So Yurcich has to rebuild Penn State's quarterback room, not only for this year but also the future. Assuming success, Yurcich likely won't be in State College for more than 2-3 years. Rebuilding the position to entice high-end recruits (he already has offered elite Texas prospect Cade Klubnik) will benefit both Yurcich and Penn State.
And if the Franklin-Yurcich partnership doesn't work, both could be looking for fresh starts elsewhere. So a lot rides on the offense and, specifically, the quarterback position.
So what is Yurcich looking for in a quarterback? During his first media session as Penn State's offensive coordinator, Yurcich offered some insight.
He's not married to a style. Yurcich has coached pro-style and dual-threat quarterbacks with equal success. Ehlinger rushed for a team-high eight touchdowns last season. And Rudolph's three-year completion rate at Oklahoma State was nearly 64 percent.
"It's always a challenge, and you never want to think that you've figured it out," Yurcich said of moving into Penn State's quarterback room. "I take a humble approach into each job. We have to understand a couple different things at that position.
"What's really important is that our eyes have to be right and our feet have to be right. And if you have those two things going for you on each play, then you give yourself a chance for success."
Clearly, all quarterback coaches stress those traits. But Penn State's quarterbacks lapsed in both categories last season.
Some incompletions and interceptions resulted from not seeing the field properly. And the quarterbacks occasionally struggled with their footwork in the pocket, particularly under pressure.
"So I don't know what happened in the past, and I'm not here to judge that right, wrong or indifferent," Yurcich said. "But what we'll do moving forward is make sure the quarterback's eyes are right, that he knows where he needs to be looking based on whatever particular scheme that we're running. So his focal point and his eyes are disciplined, and he's always steady with how he moves through his progressions.
"Next is his feet. He's got to have a good platform. He's got to transfer his weight. Those are things that we can control: where our eyes are, our eye discipline and our feet discipline. And then on top of that, it's about the individual's accuracy and their talent level."
Clifford and Levis ran plenty in 2020, combining for 45 percent of Penn State's rushing snaps. Yurcich isn't averse to running his quarterbacks, particularly during the past two seasons. Ehlinger led Texas in rushing attempts last season (113), and Fields was second on Ohio State's attempts list in 2019.
But Yurcich also noted one contributing factor at play in choosing to run quarterbacks. Unless Penn State finds an experienced quarterback in the NCAA Transfer Portal, it will enter the 2021 season with just one scholarship quarterback who has taken a college snap.
Clifford is a two-year starter, but Ta'Quan Roberson and freshman Christian Veilleux haven't run a play yet. Veilleux did not play at all in 2020, since his high school season was canceled. That could make a big difference in the 2021 strategy.
"It all depends on your quarterback, and really your depth at quarterback as well," Yurcich said. "We saw in the playoffs, the Chiefs run the speed option, [Patrick] Mahomes gets [hurt] and luckily he got to come back. But it makes you think twice about running the speed option.
"... It's the risk vs. the benefit. Because whenever you're running the quarterback, you're equating numbers. It's 11 on 11 when the quarterback runs. When you hand it off, they have 11 to tackle your 10. So it's a simple math game, and obviously you have an advantage whenever you're running the quarterback or any type of option. So that's the game we play as coaches, trying to contemplate the risk and reward of running the quarterback."
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