Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
M A R C H 2 0 2 2 15 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "The theoretically uncertain future [of Penn State's quarterback position] lies in the fact that while Clif- ford appears the obvious choice given his experience, [he's had] a somewhat lukewarm career. ... Coupled with the arrival of Allar, a highly touted prospect and a player many think can help Penn State take the next step, fan and program anticipation of something new is at an all-time high. Whether or not Allar can provide them with that in Year 1, especially with a difficult opening month of the 2022 season, remains to be seen. In either case, it seems likely that calls for Allar's debut will be loud for the remainder of the summer and undoubtedly the first time Clifford makes a miscue during the year." — Ben Jones, StateCollege.com columnist, assess- ing the Lions' quarterback position, where super senior Sean Clifford may have to fend off a trio of freshmen that includes five-star prospect Drew Allar "Whether you totally agree with the transfer portal or whether you totally agree with NIL or whether you totally agree with these things, the reality is, you have to embrace them, I have to embrace them. And then once I've embraced them, I've got to do a great job of educating and explaining to all the people that have a hand in Penn State football, whether it's inside the Lasch Building or outside of it, so that they understand what we're competing against currently." — Penn State football coach James Franklin "Despite 54 percent of the players in the FBS being Black, only 10.8 percent of the schools have Black head coaches. The Big Ten (Franklin, Michigan State's Mel Tucker and Maryland's Mike Locksley) and the Pac-12 have three apiece. The Atlantic Coast Con- ference has two. The Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference have none. "'David Shaw is a good friend of mine,' Franklin said about the Stanford coach. 'We talk about these things a lot. Guys like David and others, including my- self, can be part of the change that needs to happen.' "Franklin walks the walk. Five of his 10 full-time assistant coaches are Black: Ja'Juan Seider, Taylor Stubblefield, John Scott Jr., Anthony Poindexter and Terry Smith. Marshall coach Charles Huff was on his staff at Vanderbilt and Penn State, and so was Michi- gan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who has the credentials to be a head coach." — Rich Scarcella, Reading Eagle columnist, on the dearth of Black coaches in the NFL and college football "With Dotson, he's an interesting watch. I really like this guy. I love his body control. And I think that's so important as a receiver. We always talk about the speed and the length, and I get that he's only 5-11, 185 pounds. I think he's going to run in the 4.4s. He has plenty of speed, but what I love about him is [that] he's like a great point guard in the NBA. He's completely under control, even though he's so quick and in and out of his breaks." — Todd McShay, ESPN draft analyst, on Jahan Dotson They Said It "I've been blessed in my life, man. I've coached in two national championship games, I've coached in the NCAA Tournament for six years, I've been to the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the NBA Playoffs, for five years. I've experienced success in my career. But I want these guys to feel it, man. That feeling is special. And I don't remember what game it was or when it happened, but I told them, I believe in you guys like none other. Believe in yourself the same exact way. I believe in you and I'm going to fight for it, and I want them to have so much suc- cess so I'm going to do everything possible [for you to get it]. "My staff makes fun of me. They say like I'm this really nice guy, and then game time comes and it's just like straight Tasmanian Devil. But I want success for these guys so much that I'll give anything for them to have it." — Penn State men's basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry Micah Shrewsberry had guided Penn State to an 11-12 record heading into a trip to Maryland on Feb. 21. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL