Blue White Illustrated

January 2023

Penn State Sports Magazine

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1 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State doesn't want to be one of those programs that rebuilds its depth chart every December when the transfer portal opens and players be- gin rushing in. The Nittany Lions would prefer to make judicious use of the portal, patching holes and filling gaps but avoid- ing wholesale changes. So far this year, they've kept the roster drama to a minimum. As of mid-Decem- ber, only five players had left: quarterback Christian Veilleux, defensive end Davon Townley, defensive tackle Rodney Mc- Graw, cornerback Jeffrey Davis and of- fensive lineman Maleek McNeil. Veilleux, Townley, McGraw and Davis all came aboard as members of the Lions' 2021 re- cruiting class, while McNeil was a 2022 signee. Of those five players, Veilleux is the one whose loss could prove most costly. He looked sharp in relief of an ailing Sean Clifford against Rutgers in 2021, com- pleting 15 of 24 passes for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 28-0 win. This past year, as the Lions' third-team quarterback behind Clifford and true freshman Drew Allar, he saw action in three games, completing 7 of 9 passes for 44 yards. Had he opted to stay at PSU, Veilleux would most likely have backed up Allar in 2023. That's what made his exit so unsur- prising. A quarterback with three years of eligibility remaining who is good enough to hold the No. 2 job at a place like Penn State is probably good enough to win the No. 1 job elsewhere. Coach James Franklin said it "really is a hard sell" to convince such players to stick it out as backups, which in turn makes it hard to maintain depth at the quarterback position. NITTANY LIONS AVOID POSTSEASON ROSTER UPHEAVAL M A T T H E R B | M A T T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M NEWS & NOTES James Franklin and his staff were focused on landing wide receivers when the transfer portal window opened in early December. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE

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