Blue White Illustrated

Ta'Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux in position to contribute this fall if neces- sary. And "up to speed," in this instance, means, literally, up to speed. James Franklin talked several times this spring about wanting the ability to deploy a no-huddle offense that uses tempo to its advantage. That's a big to-do list, and coordinator Mike Yurcich has only been on the job since January. But Yurcich has an advan- tage that his predecessor, Kirk Ciarrocca, didn't have, in that he was able to work hands-on with the quarterbacks he in- herited during the spring. Clifford said that he and Yurcich have developed a good rapport, owing at least in part to the similarities in their tem- peraments. "It's fun, and we're kind of learning that balance in the room," the redshirt junior said. "He wants us to enjoy ourselves. We've gone out to dinner and we've had a lot of experiences so far that are going to help our room. When we're casual, we're casual. But when we're working, we are working. That's how I am. I'm a fiery guy. I enjoy the passion that football brings, and I think that Coach Yurcich would say the same." Clifford had an up-and-down afternoon in the first of Penn State's open scrim- mages on April 17, completing long passes to Brenton Strange and Cam Sullivan- Brown but also tossing an interception in the end zone to Kalen King. Given that the Nittany Lions' 2020 season was a mixed bag of big plays, turnovers and red zone mishaps, the offense's inconsistency in its first open practice raised some concerns. Another concern: Yurcich's quarter- backs room includes only three scholar- ship players, one fewer than Ciarrocca had last year. And between them, Rober- son and Veilleux have attempted just one pass at the college level. At the beginning of spring drills, Franklin left open the possibility of adding a quarterback via the transfer portal, not- ing that he's uncomfortable going into a season with only three scholarship QBs. As of late April, the door was still open. "I think for us pretty much at every po- sition, we're going to be open to it," Franklin said. "I think what happens is, you have the first wave of the transfer portal [in the winter]. I think there are going to be probably two more waves. You're going to have a post-spring ball transfer portal situation, and then you may have one right before the season starts, a few guys. "So we're going to constantly stay aware of it and monitor it, and if it's somebody who we think makes us better, then we're going to look at it hard. For us, it always helps if you have a pre-existing relation- ship with him and his family, that you re- cruited them on the front end, so you know a lot about him. That just helps. But that doesn't have to always be the case." RUNNING BACK Franklin had talked op- timistically in March about getting Noah Cain back for at least a portion of spring practice, and sure enough, the sopho- more running back was working out again in April after missing all but the first few plays of the 2020 season. "Noah has been able to go," Franklin said on April 14. "Not full-go, not in live settings, but he is getting reps, which I think has been good. In my mind, I think he's probably a little bit further ahead than I anticipated him being, so the reps have been good that he's been able to get." Cain didn't see action in either of Penn State's open practices, but running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider said in March that Cain has approached his rehab with the same gusto that enabled him to rank sec- ond on the team in rushing as a true fresh- man in 2019 with 443 yards and eight touchdowns. "If you know Noah, he at- tacks everything full steam ahead," Seider said. "And it's no different, even with his rehab coming off this injury. He's doing the same thing. He's busting his tail in there. "I see his work ethic in the training room. I see him working out in the gym. I see him running – all the things you want to see from a guy who's coming off an in- jury. And I see the eagerness that we all see in him when we watch him play as a player. ... He's that same guy." Even with the staff taking precautions to keep last year's opening-day starter from suffering any setbacks in his recov- ery, the Lions had plenty of talented play- ers available for spring drills. Last year's leading rusher, Keyvone Lee, was on hand, as were Caziah Holmes, Devyn Ford and Baylor transfer John Lovett. Lee has added nearly 20 pounds since arriving at Penn State as a 220-pound freshman last summer, but those who watched the team's two open practices in April came away thinking he looked quicker than he did during the 2020 season. Given the Lions' abundant depth, the battle for carries was fierce this spring, said Ford, who is coming off a sophomore season in which he missed three games and finished with 274 yards on 67 carries. "There's been a high competitive level every single day," he said. "When you come in and there are guys who can take a spot whenever, that's a beautiful thing, because we're always pushing each other to be the best we can be on the field." Seider said early in spring practice that the staff was looking for Ford to take a step forward this year, noting that "po- tential is nothing if you don't tap into it." If it sounds as though Ford is being chal- lenged, maybe he is. And he's OK with that, explaining that he has appreciated Seider's candor throughout their time to- gether at Penn State. "He's like a father figure," Ford said. "He's there for you, but he gives you the information that you need to hear, not what you want to hear. He keeps you hon- est to your word and what you do on the field. He's going to hold you accountable for everything you do, and that's what you want from a coach and a person like him. He doesn't treat you like a player, he treats you like a son, like an actual person. He's a great coach." WIDE RECEIVER The Lions know what they've got in Jahan Dotson, whose breakthrough 2020 season included a Big Ten-best 884 receiving yards. And while they know a bit less about Parker Wash- ington given that he's been on campus for less than a year, the coaches like what they've seen so far, as he finished second on the team with 36 catches for 489 yards and six TDs last season. Now it's time to find Dotson and Wash- ington some wingmen. The Lions were >>

• Cover