Do the Freshmen QBs Have a 'Realistic' Shot to Start for Penn State?
Penn State heads into the 2022 season rostering its most intriguing quarterback room under head coach James Franklin. Sean Clifford returns for his sixth season, surrounded by three gifted freshmen, two of whom enrolled in January.
Franklin understands the perception that high-end quarterback recruits don't enroll early simply to bide their time on the scout team. However, that doesn't mean they will be ready to supplant a potential fourth-year starter, either.
"Is it realistic? Probably not," Franklin said, when asked whether a true freshman could earn the starting role this season. "But I think [the competition is] going to be good."
Redshirt freshman Christian Veilleux and true freshmen Drew Allar and Beau Pribula began spring drills mixing it up to see who could be the No. 2 to Clifford. At the team's first spring practice session, the early rotation was Clifford, Veilleux, Allar, Pribula.
That rotation behind Clifford certainly could change through spring practice and training camp, as the true freshmen take more reps and grow more comfortable in the offense. Still, Franklin certainly made it clear that this is Clifford's offense.
"Year two with [offensive coordinator Mike] Yurcich and cleaning up some things that we wish we would have done better last year as well as just take the next step in general from an offensive perspective," Franklin said before the team began spring drills March 21. "I know Sean is pretty excited about it."
Franklin said he appreciates that fans are interested in the young quarterbacks. It's the most exciting duo Franklin has brought to Penn State. Allar, who was voted Ohio's Mr. Football, is the highest-ranked quarterback Franklin has recruited. He is the "cornerstone" of Penn State's 2022 recruiting class, according to John Garcia, Jr., Sports Illustrated's director of recruiting.
Pribula, meanwhile, is a former Pennsylvania Player of Year in the state's largest classification who made teammates take notice during winter workouts.
"People are going to talk about what they want to talk about, and obviously when you recruit well, there's excitement, which there should be," Franklin said. "So I think that's a positive. I also think the competition is going to bring out the best in everybody. I think that's going to be a really important part of this.
"Internally, we want that. We want that type of competition. The external stuff we can't control. ... But I think the competition, Sean embraces it. I think Veilleux embraces it. I think we all saw Veilleux get in a game last year and play at a really high level. And then we've got two young kids that have done some great things throughout their career and put themselves in a position to come to a place like Penn State and compete.
"We'll see how it goes. I'll have a better feel probably after practice six or seven. But obviously, based on how we've recruited them and the tools that they have, there's a lot to be excited about. And whether that's in the future or whether that's sooner, that's to be determined."
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