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enn State exits spring practice in a much more sound position than it was a year ago thanks to the 15 full ses- sions it was able to conduct. As for the team itself, we'll examine the roster for its strengths and potential weaknesses as it breaks camp for the summer. It's important to note, however, that roster management is now a constant process. In the sand dunes of college football depth charts, the landscape can change quickly when the wind blows. QUARTERBACK No player has been a larger source of frustration for Penn State football fans than incumbent quarterback Sean Clifford. Inconsis- tency has been a hallmark of Clifford, who is now on his third offensive coor- dinator in three years as the presumed starter. The hope should not be for Clifford to blossom into a Joe Burrow-like breakout star in 2021. While the two quarterbacks have similar storylines, Burrow was a far superior player to Clifford in his first season starting in Baton Rouge before his breakout campaign in 2019. The hope should be for Clifford to maintain a baseline of acceptable play that does not detract from the efforts of the team, and to execute the offense efficiently. If he can take advantage of the situations pre- sented to him, the Nittany Lions have a chance to reclaim their place in the top probably just the progressions and an- ticipation. There's a lot that's new on his plate right now, and it's one of those things where you don't know until you get thrown in there and have to feel it," Yurcich said. "He's just got to get his eyes where they need to be more consistently on every play. But that's going to happen with his work ethic and with his determination. He's a smart guy. It's just a matter of time, it's a matter of reps, and that's what this spring is all about." Whether the four months separating Penn State from the Badgers are suffi- cient time to make the necessary im- provements is another unknown. But Clifford is undeterred by the setbacks and criticisms he endured last season and is bringing an attitude of positivity to his off-season work. "There's not much frustration right now. I'm content with where I'm at," Clifford said. "Last season was last season, so there's nothing really to harp on now. I'm just excited to have this new, fresh start with this team." Without a legitimate push for the starting job from backups Ta'Quan Roberson or January enrollee Christian Veilleux, and without an obvious up- grade coming into the program through the transfer portal this off- season, Clifford is taking the only ap- proach he can, the only one that has a chance to generate positive results in the fall. "From an offensive perspective, I think that we're growing every day," he said. "We've installed a lot. You just have to learn to adapt and grow on the fly and learn. You have to retain all this information and make sure that you're getting everything before practice. I think that's what Coach Yurcich does so well. He pushes us to another level. Before, I looked at everything one way, but Coach Yurcich brought another level of competition and focus to me and showed me a different side. I'm excited about it, I know that he is, and I'm excited to see how the offense grows from here." Eager to see the team rebound from the disappointments of its 2020 sea- son, Clifford's teammates, coaches and the Nittany Lions' entire fan base can say the same. ■ P Lions make progress during spring drills, but there's more work to be done TARGET PRACTICE Clifford looks downfield during Penn State's open practice on April 17. The redshirt junior is prepping for his third starting season at PSU. Photo by Mark Selders/ Penn State Athletics

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