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3rd, 8th. Passing offense: 7th, 9th, 1st, 10th, 36th, 27th. Quarterback passing yards per game: 19th, 7th, 1st, 6th, 44th, 24th. In addition to generating yards and points, Yurcich's quarterbacks are noteworthy in that they protect the football. Taylor Cornelius may have thrown 13 interceptions during his senior season at Oklahoma State in 2018, but he never threw more than two in a single game, and he tossed 32 touchdown passes that same year. Justin Fields famously threw 41 touchdowns against just three inter- ceptions in 2019, and Sam Ehlinger threw 26 touchdown passes and only five interceptions in 10 games for the Longhorns this past season. Before working with those QBs, Yurcich helped Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph throw 86 TD passes and only 22 interceptions in his three- year career. As Penn State fans well know, Sean Clifford struggled in the same cate- gory this past season, throwing 16 TD passes and nine interceptions in nine games after a debut season in which he finished with 23 TDs and seven picks. While the 2020 season might not provide the best measuring stick, Yurcich's efficiency numbers offer a vision of what Franklin wants the Nittany Lions' offense to become. In an up-and-down year, Texas finished with the 13th-ranked F+ offensive rating (a combination of the FEI and SP+ analytical ratings). In 2019, Ohio State finished No. 1 in the SP+. In 2018, Oklahoma State was seventh in the SP+ offensive efficiency. Offered a unique opportunity to bring in a coordinator with an ap- proach to the game that more closely aligns with his ideal for the program, Franklin didn't hesitate. This isn't a head coach searching for an identity for his team. It's a head coach knowing precisely what he wants that identity to be and pivot- ing toward it. ■ F O O T B A L L Penn State welcomes four transfers as tumultuous o-season begins Every college football off-season brings its share of personnel upheaval. That's the nature of the sport. But the 2021 off-season will be even more turbulent than usual at schools across the country due to the NCAA's decision to grant players a transfer waiver that will allow them to leave without having to sit out a year at their new school. As of Jan. 17, Penn State had seen three scholarship players transfer out and four transfer in. In addition, the NCAA froze every- one's eligibility clock this year, meaning that seniors who would otherwise have run out of eligibility after the 2020 sea- son could potentially return in 2021. As of this writing, two Penn State players had opted to take advantage of the op- portunity to extend their careers. Here's a look at the team's comings and goings over the past month: INCOMING TRANSFERS JOHN DIXON A cornerback at South Carolina, Dixon announced on Dec. 28 that he plans to finish his collegiate ca- reer at Penn State. The former four-star prospect from Tampa, Fla., had an imme- diate impact for the Gamecocks as a freshman in 2019, playing all 12 games. He then played in all 10 games this past season, totaling 34 tackles and five pass breakups. According to Pro Football Focus, Dixon was targeted 42 times in 2020 and allowed just 24 receptions. Coming out of high school, the 6- foot-0, 185-pound Dixon was highly coveted by James Franklin and his staff. He took an official visit to Penn State for the game against Ohio State in 2018 but ended up choosing South Carolina over PSU and Miami. Because he didn't red- shirt – and because last season didn't count – he will have four years in which to complete his three remaining seasons of eligibility. But it's unlikely that he will redshirt at Penn State. ARNOLD EBIKETIE A second-team All- American Athletic Conference selection, Ebiketie announced on New Year's Eve that he would enroll at Penn State. De- spite playing in just six games for Temple in 2020, the 6-4, 240-pound defensive end posted four sacks, 14 quarterback hurries and notched 22 total pressures according to PFF, earning notice as the fifth-best edge rusher in the conference. Ebiketie will have two seasons of eligi- bility at Penn State. JOHN LOVETT Penn State added depth to its running back room when it landed the 6-0, 212-pound Lovett on Dec. 21. Although he played sparingly for Baylor in 2020, partly due to an injury, he had a very productive career in the Big 12, to- taling 1,803 yards rushing and 18 total touchdowns in four seasons. Pro Football Focus gave him an 83.0 offensive grade in 2019, third-best in the Big 12 and 17th overall among the 88 Power Five running backs with 50 or more carries. A native of Burlington, N.J., Lovett re- ceived a scholarship offer from Penn State coming out of Cherokee High. He visited for a game in 2016, but PSU ulti- mately signed Journey Brown. Lovett, who was committed to Rutgers at one point, ended up taking official visits to Iowa, Michigan State and Tennessee be- fore committing to Baylor a few days ahead of National Signing Day. DERRICK TANGELO In his three seasons as a defensive tackle at Duke, the 6-2, 310-pound Tangelo totaled more than 100 tackles and five sacks. He's consid- ered more of a run stopper than a pass rusher. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, his run-stopping percentage of 11.3 during the 2020 season was the best in the nation among defensive linemen I N C O M I N G T R A N F E R S

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