Penn State Sports Magazine
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2 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M to a string of turnovers, regaining his starting job and spearheading a four- game winning streak to end the season. "He has shown his toughness over the years," Franklin said, "physically and mentally." On the Tuesday before Penn State faced Illinois, Franklin said at his weekly press conference that he'd passed by Clifford in the Lasch Building on his way to the Beaver Stadium media room. The quarterback was busy preparing for a game that he was far from assured of playing in. "Coming over here to the press conference, I saw him in the facility," Franklin said. "He kind of lives in there, watching film and obviously getting treatment and doing everything he possibly can to put himself in the best possible position to get back as soon as possible, whenever that may be. "So, we'll see. It won't be because of a lack of effort on his part. He's going to do everything he's supposed to do, from the doctors and the trainers and their recommendations, and we'll make sure the parents are informed and involved in the process as well. "And then as I've said before, men- tally in terms of how he approaches the game, he's as good as I've been around. He's doing all the right things." ■ Uncertainty Surrounds Quarterback Position In 2022 Heading into the 2021 offseason, Penn State had a pretty good idea how its quarterback depth chart was going to come together. Sean Clifford was returning for his fifth year and was the overwhelming favorite to start. Which he did. Nearly a year later, the Nittany Lions are in a very different position. With the 2022 offseason approaching, nothing is certain and almost anything seems possible. The first matter that needs to be resolved is Clifford's status. He has another year available to him thanks to the eligibility freeze that the NCAA put in place in 2020, and he said in October that he hadn't thought yet about whether he will use it. "Obviously, I want to sit down with my coaches and family and talk about the pros and cons of everything," he said. "It's not something that needs to be addressed right now, because we have so much season left. I'm just fo- cused on taking advantage of every opportunity that I have with this team, and then when the time presents itself, I'll start to think about the future." If Clifford chooses to return, the Nittany Lions' quarterback situation be- comes very simple. Barring injury, he'll be the opening-day starter, just as he's been for the past three seasons. If he doesn't return, though, things get very interesting. The Lions are set to return Ta'Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux next year. Roberson will be a redshirt junior, while Veilleux will be a redshirt freshman. The only game in which Roberson has seen extensive action was Penn State's 23-20 loss to Iowa earlier this season. He struggled amid the noise of Kinnick Stadium and the intensity of a top-five matchup, completing 7 of 21 passes for 34 yards and throwing two interceptions. Coach James Franklin said a few days later that while the Lions' offense had floundered after Clifford got hurt in the second quarter of the game at Iowa City, he had seen positive signs from Roberson in practice. "He's played a lot of football here," Franklin said. "He's done some really good things. So, we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt based on what he's done in practice and what he's done over his career." Veilleux hadn't gotten on the field through the first 10 weeks of Penn State's season, but he appeared to be taking some second-team reps prior to the Ohio State game. Franklin said it was because Roberson was recovering from an injury, but he added that Veilleux has shown potential in practice. "He's got really good poise, really good arm strength," Franklin said. "Sometimes he tends to throw too much just with his arm and doesn't get his lower half incorporated in the throws, but he seems to have a pretty good understanding of where to go with the ball and why, and protections, which is a big thing usually for high school guys at this level to get adjusted to. I think his poise is probably a thing that stands out to me the most." The Nittany Lions are also planning to welcome a pair of true freshmen in 2022, with Drew Allar of Medina, Ohio, and Beau Pribula of York, Pa., set to enroll in January. Both are having outstanding senior seasons. Allar had thrown for 3,748 yards and 44 touchdowns in his first 12 games, while Pribula had completed 73 percent of his attempts for 2,268 yards and 32 touchdowns, and had added 406 yards and eight scores on the ground. The Lions haven't started a true freshman at quarterback since Christian Hackenberg in 2013. Hackenberg had a great debut season, throwing for 2,955 yards and winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. But relying on a true freshman, even one with the high school creden- tials of Allar or Pribula, is not ideal, especially for a Penn State team that opens its 2022 campaign at Purdue and will also face Auburn, Ohio State and Michigan in the first half of the regular season. If Clifford returns, he'll assuredly be the starter when Penn State visits West Lafayette for its Sept. 3 matchup with Purdue. If he doesn't return, the Lions will almost certainly make a concerted effort to bring in a trans- fer. Because aside from Roberson, no one on the projected depth chart next season has thrown a pass in a college game. — Matt Herb True freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux had yet to see action through Penn State's first 10 games. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS