Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1464375
M A Y 2 0 2 2 17 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "I think the tweaks that we've made on defense are going to be really beneficial to us. I know the coaches and the players like it. It's been good. Obviously, there's still a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball. There's still a lot of time between now and Purdue. I say that, but as we all know, we'll blink and it'll be here." — James Franklin on the impact that new de- fensive coordinator Manny Diaz has made "The tepid reaction from some Penn State fans to [Sean] Clifford's return surprised me. Clifford improved markedly last season, and at times car- ried an offense that never ran the ball effectively. He had 3,107 pass yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions, although his struggles with accuracy showed up at times. He also dealt with injuries. Still, he enters 2022 as one of the nation's most experienced quarterbacks, boasting 7,839 career pass yards and 62 touchdowns in 33 starts. If Penn State can play better along the line and at running back, Clifford should give the offense enough to produce. "The real reason for the reaction to Clifford is Drew Allar, the most anticipated Penn State quar- terback recruit since Christian Hackenberg. Allar is ESPN's No. 2 pocket passer and No. 50 overall prospect in the 2022 class. He should lead the PSU offense in 2023 and 2024, and possibly sooner. Don't forget about Christian Veilleux, who led Penn State to a win over Rutgers last year. Penn State also added a second quarterback in the 2022 class in four-star prospect Beau Pribula, a native of York, Pennsylvania." — Adam Rittenberg, ESPN senior writer, in his "future quarterback power rankings," in which he placed the Nittany Lions 12th nationally "The schools that are competing in the playoffs … don't have a class that slips even a little bit. Every class that they sign is a top-tier class, and we need to do the same thing. It's still about ev- erything. It's about the education, it's about the passion that people have for this place, it's how great a college town it is, it's the professors who care about them as individuals. But it's also about name, image and likeness, and it's about money. That's the reality that we're in." — Andy Frank, director of player personnel for the PSU football team, during an appearance on Steve Jones' radio show in which he addressed the need for a proactive approach to NIL issues "Penn State's running game drought is not just about its offensive line. Its rushers were, after all, last in the nation in yards gained after contact. On offense, the run game is Priority No. 1 for Penn State this spring. … Though he hasn't specifically said so, what Franklin really wants — needs — is this: one back who can carry the biggest load. How do we know that? Franklin's history tells us so. Franklin has been a head coach for 11 seasons — three at Vander- bilt, eight at Penn State — and his best teams on offense, and his best teams overall, have func- tioned best when one running back gets the bulk of the carries. One. Like Zac Stacy at Vanderbilt, and Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders and Journey Brown at Penn State." — Mike Poorman, StateCollege.com columnist JOE KRENTZMAN & SON, INC. • Buyers and Brokers of Steel, Iron and Nonferrous Metals • Industrial Scrap Buyers • Container Service Available • Large Service Territory Since 1903 Lewistown, PA • Hollidaysburg, PA • DuBois, PA (800) 543-2000 • www.krentzman.net F irst i n S cra p They Said It Andrew Rappleyea joined Penn State's 2023 recruiting class in early April after having previously been committed to Michigan. PHOTO COURTESY THE RAPPLEYEA FAMILY "There's something about Happy Valley that feels like home. It seems to happen to a lot of people. They go there and fall in love with it." — Tight end prospect Andrew Rappleyea on his decision to commit to Penn State