Penn State Sports Magazine
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M A Y 2 0 2 2 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M M ike Yurcich is directing his second spring practice as the offensive coordinator at Penn State. It's the first time since 2018 that the longtime college football coach with roots in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has had a second season to work with an offense. He left Ohio State after just one season and did the same at Texas a year later, joining the Nittany Lions in early 2021. Having gotten thoroughly acquainted with each other, Yurcich and his play- ers figure to reap the rewards of consis- tency as they prepare for the 2022 sea- son. Here's a position-by-position look at what we've learned about Penn State's offense during March and early April: Quarterbacks Super senior Sean Clifford is going through his fourth spring practice in blue and white. But, unlike veteran players at other positions, Penn State is not to- tally dialing back the number of reps he receives. That's Yurcich's call, and the reason for it is simple. "We try to maximize with everyone," Yurcich said. "Sean is one of those guys who is ultra-competitive everywhere, on the field and in the meeting room. "So, I wouldn't say there was extra time, just because of him being very ex- perienced. They all need the meeting time. I need to interact with them, and the relationships have to build." Clifford, of course, is always the first signal- caller up in both po- sitional drills and seven-on-seven or 11-on-11 work. He has looked poised, confident, relaxed, and above all else, healthy during the portion of drills that have been open to the media. Yurcich wants to see the Ohio native continue to seamlessly progress from one read to the next on any given play to find the best open option. After Clifford comes Christian Veil- leux. He's the clear No. 2 after seeing some action a season ago. One key this spring must be to ensure that he's game- ready should Clifford need to come out for any reason. Not having a backup primed and ready to roll last year cost Penn State at Iowa. It cannot happen again. Spring is a time when everyone can get in on the action. But, come fall camp, there must be a clear pecking order and the associated reps that it dictates. "That's the hard part, right? Giving everybody enough reps to give them a good evaluation, to make sure that your depth chart is where it needs to be," Yur- cich said, "and also the amount of reps it takes to prepare guys." Finally, there are the newcomers. Beau Pribula worked ahead of fellow early en- rollee Drew Allar through the first half of spring. But both are learning each day and hope to contribute in any way they can this fall. Running Backs The Nittany Lions have a returning starter in sophomore Keyvone Lee, and they also return junior Devyn Ford and redshirt sophomore Caziah Holmes. But so far, all of the talk has been focused on the youngest players in position coach Ja'Juan Seider's room. Nick Singleton, a five-star prospect and the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year as a senior, and Kaytron Allen, a four-star player from Florida, both enrolled in January. They crushed winter workouts and have quickly turned heads on the practice field, as well. "They're not like normal true fresh- men," senior center Juice Scruggs said. "When they put the pads on, they show it. They run behind their pads. "That's something we need. As an O- line and as a running back unit, we've got to be together. I feel like last year, we weren't together as much. But this year, we've got to just stick together and just do better." It's something that must be a priority for head coach James Franklin, Yurcich, the rest of the offensive staff, and the players moving forward. No one is sug- gesting — yet — that one of the newcom- ers will overtake Lee for the job by the time Penn State opens its season Sept. 1 at Purdue. However, everyone must be on board with making that move if it's the obvious one throughout the spring and summer. At this point, it's clear that the first-year backs will make a push to do that, at the very least. As for Ford and Holmes, the former has been in the program for quite some time now but has yet to solidify a role for an entire season. He'll hope to change that starting now. Holmes redshirted last year. This is a huge spring for him in terms of carving out a chance for carries. Wide Receivers Sophomore Parker Washington is back for a second starting season and is clearly the leader of this room for position coach Taylor Stubblefield. The media is allowed to watch position drills once a week dur- ing spring practice. Without fail, Wash- ington is always the one leading the way, regardless of whether that means tak- ing the first rep or organizing the drill before helping his younger teammates kick things off. Penn State should feel good about where this room stands. In addition to Washington, there's transfer Mitchell Tinsley, who had 87 catches for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns at West- ern Kentucky last year. Tinsley will be asked to post solid num- bers in the Big Ten while also meshing with new teammates. So far, he's passed the eye test and has elicited praise from the people who've been watching him closely this spring. "He's picked up the offense pretty well," Franklin said. "The rest of spring and summer will be really important for "I would definitely say Malik Meiga is bound for a big year. He's ready for it. He's working. He has the mindset that he wants to get better every single time he's on the field." F O R M E R P E N N S T A T E W I D E O U T J A H A N D O T S O N