Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
3 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M QUARTERBACKS As the two often do for each other, Liam finishes the thought. "Everybody likes a couple of thousand bucks here and there," he said. "But when has anybody in college football ever been able to get equity in a company? We're trying to change the game of how to make money as a student-athlete." The business effort hasn't diminished the older Clifford's determination to change the actual game for the Nittany Lions this year. Ahead of his final season at Penn State, Clifford is optimistic about the program's immediate future. Lauding the chemistry and culture of the locker room, he said the difficulties of the 2020 and 2021 seasons are behind this group. Counting on the carryover of a second season with Mike Yurcich to pay divi- dends, Clifford is similarly convinced his mastery of nuance will change games. Of- fered his first opportunity to work with the same offensive coordinator two years in a row, Clifford found that the domino effect demonstrated itself repeatedly dur- ing spring practices. He credits the in- fluence of his business venture, and its streamlining of his mental sharpness, as a big part of that improvement. "From an analytical perspective, I see the game completely differently than I ever have. And I mean that in the whole heart," Clifford said. "[Coach James Franklin] said I had the best spring I ever had. That's not because I did more for football. That's because I opened my mind to so much other than football, and it's made football much different in my mind. It's much more of a game now to me. "I don't want people to get it twisted. We operate at the highest level in college football now. I truly believe that, because it's not that I do less now with football. I allocate my time completely differently, so from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep, I'm thinking about winning a national championship and I'm thinking about how I can grow the business to $100 million. So, it's those two and those two only." At a juncture that might have been lit- tered with landmines, the 24-year-old Clifford is entering the season feeling energized. He's carrying a light academic load ahead of an expected December graduation, and the advent of NIL has changed the equation of what this season might be. Opportunities, both on and off the field, are plentiful. That he's get- ting to chase them alongside his brother makes those opportunities even more enticing. "There's no way I could ever recre- ate running out of the tunnel with my brother in the White Out," Clifford said. "Minnesota, 8 o'clock, primetime game. I will never recreate that moment. But, I'm prepared for it, and when that hap- pens, everybody in the country can know that Liam and I are enjoying it." ■ Clifford credits the influence of his business venture, and its streamlining of his mental sharpness, as a big part of his offseason improvement. Headed into his fourth season as a starter, he has passed for 7,839 yards and 62 touchdowns in his career at Penn State. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL