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U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L Clifford embraces leadership role in class P enn State has seen its fair share of lead- ers pass through the Lasch Building in recent years. In 2012, Michael Mauti and Michael Zordich helped guide the program through turbulent times. A year later, tight end Adam Breneman and quarterback Christian Hackenberg joined the team as mature-beyond-their-years freshmen. As they prepare for their fourth season in University Park, James Franklin and his assistants are on the verge of taking the program to a level it hasn't seen in quite some time. However, the recruits them- selves have also played a major role, most notably future quarterback Sean Cli4ord. A four-star prospect from St. Xavier High in Cincinnati, Cli4ord was the 3rst prospect to join Penn State's Class of 2017, verbally committing to Franklin in July 2015. For 3ve months, he was the only player committed in Penn State's class. From the outside, it looked as though the Nittany Lions were o4 to a slow start. But behind the scenes, Cli4ord and the coaches were beginning to build some- thing special. In fact, as time went on, it became clear that Cli4ord was one of Penn State's best recruiters. "I think that, throughout the process, I learned that it wasn't about bugging [other players] about Penn State and being in their ear," Cli4ord said. "Instead, it was more about developing a relation- ship with them and really showing them that this is what Penn State is all about." Cli4ord even found ways to communi- cate with players who he didn't know personally, creating a Twitter feed that showed other prospective recruits, as well as fans, what the Class of 2017 was all about. "I just wanted to do everything I could to get Penn State, especially our recruit- ing class, in front of as many people as possible," he said. "A6er being committed for so long, I got to learn so much about the sta4 and the school. … Not only were we getting top players, but we also landed a lot of really good guys, guys that care about stu4 outside of just football." When it was all said and done, Cli4ord had a real impact in helping Penn State land two of its key players: 3ve-star defensive back Lamont Wade and four-star defensive tackle Fred Hansard. He also emerged as the de facto leader of the 2017 class. Those leadership qualities were also ev- ident in St. Xavier's locker room, as the 6- foot-1, 211-pound quarterback bounced back from a series of injuries. Whether it was a sprained foot in the beginning of the year or a torn hamstring in week eight, Cli4ord was forced to 3nd new ways to lead the Bombers, who had begun the sea- son with state championship aspirations. "This past season was a real learning experience for me," Cli4ord said. "I had multiple injuries that I had to overcome, but in the end, it made me a better player and maybe most importantly, a better leader. It taught me how to really 3ght and grind through di5cult situations." When it mattered most, he also proved that he's an excellent player on the 3eld, as well. A6er missing four of his team's 10 regular-season games – St. Xavier went 5-5, just barely making the playo4s – as well as the 3rst game of the Ohio state playo4s, Cli4ord was given one last chance to salvage his senior year. What followed was one of the best playo4 runs in state history, as Cli4ord led his team to four consecutive victories against some of Ohio's best teams, including a 27-20 dou- ble-overtime win over St. Ignatius of Cleveland in the OHSAA Division I championship game. Making his performance even more im- pressive was the fact that Cli4ord hurt his throwing shoulder in the 3nal game, an injury that was serious enough to require surgery about a month later. "I had surgery on my shoulder in early January," he said. "I'm about three months out from being 100 percent, but I'm ahead of the curve, which I'm very happy to say. I always want to be ahead of the curve in everything I do. I've already began throwing, which is about a whole month ahead of most people. That's where I wanted to be. I should be fully healthy by the time I get to State College in the summer. I know I'll be ready to compete. That's for sure." Now, Cli4ord has some new goals as he | THE CLIFFORD FILE STATS Was a four-year letterman and two-year captain at St. Xavier... Threw for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns in an injury-shortened senior season, while also rushing for 571 yards and 12 scores... Finished his career ranked fourth in school history with 4,004 passing yards HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 8 quarterback and No. 5 prospect in Ohio... In- vited to play in Under Armour All-American Game and Army All-American Game... Named Most Ac- curate Passer at Elite 11 camp CLICK HERE to see video of Cli4ord in action. Rivals.com

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