Penn State football: Sean Clifford is winning over the locker room so far

Penn State football quarterback Sean Clifford is here to win games, but first, he has to gain confidence within himself in order to win over the locker room.

It takes a lot to be a successful quarterback in the NCAA — especially in the Big Ten. Fortunately for the Penn State football program, they have been stocked with decent quarterbacks over the last few years. When head coach James Franklin entered Happy Valley, the Lions were still rolling with Christian Hackenberg. Following Hackenberg’s stint would soon be the best quarterbacking play we would see in a PSU quarterback in a long time with Trace McSorely.

Now, the Nittany Lions are turning a page. With McSorely moving onto the pros, Penn State had to get ready to find his replacement. While Tommy Stevens was first in line for the job, the idea of potentially losing the number one spot in a position battle over the summer led him to transfer elsewhere. That automatically made Junior quarterback, Sean Clifford, the man for the job.

At this point, there’s still an open battle for the starting quarterback position, but we all know it is Clifford’s job to lose. However, it sure sounds like the first-year starter is winning over the right people so far. In order for a quarterback to establish a flow within the offense, they have to have all hands on deck ready to compete. So if a player isn’t confident in the guy running the offense, it can cause some issues on gameday and ruin the rhythm.

Bad quarterback play typically causes a lousy showing by the offense overall. Therefore, the guy under center has to win over his teammates before he can win the win the game. And so far, it sounds like Clifford is on the right path as he learns the ins and outs of being a QB1 at this level.

The Lions have Clifford’s back

Over time, McSorely earned the confidence of his teammates when he was running the Lions offense. Now, it’s Clifford’s turn to carry the torch. And so far, Clifford has won over the locker room as he showed clear signs of improvement on the field, and within the locker room. Sure, Clifford had improved his game by turning into more of a dual-threat, when he was recognized as more of a pure pocket passer but his skill set isn’t the concern. Rather, it’s his leadership skills.

“Obviously I’ve had to be a little bit more of a vocal leader. I’ve just been having fun with it and just kind of enjoying my time, and working to put this team in the best position we can,” Clifford told Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette’s Sarah Spencer on Friday. He’s acknowledged his role as a leader, but how is he doing as an on-field coach and motivator so far?

Well, according to Sophomore running back Ricky Slade, Clifford’s biggest improvement so far has, in fact, been his leadership. “I’d say a big improvement for him has been stepping into that role, being more of a leader. And being more of a vocal leader. He’s reading the defenses better, he’s picking up on things better, changing plays better. So I think we’re going to be straight.”

It didn’t just stop there with Slade, either. Penn State center Michal Menet doubled-down on what Slade had to say in terms of Clifford’s leadership. “Cliff, he’s done a great job so far transitioning into more of a leadership role, which is good for him,” Menet mentioned to Penn Live’s Greg Pickel on Friday. While the team might’ve been a bit wary about initially losing Tommy Stevens, they were quickly reassured by Clifford, as he made it clear he was the right guy for the job.