Oct 27, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Mike Hull (43) sacks Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller (5) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Hull

Yeah, this one is a given. Mike is arguably Penn State’s best player, and he certainly plays at the thinnest position on the depth chart. With Mauti and Hodges gone to graduation, he has taken on much more of a leadership role with the defense as well. Perhaps most importantly from a football standpoint, however, is his ability to play against both the run and the pass. Ted Roof’s decision to begin inserting Hull on a situational basis last season, prior to Mauti’s knee injury, is perhaps the biggest reason PSU’s defense took off last season after some early struggles, especially on 3rd down.

Why should that be obvious, you ask?  Simple, BOB has seen Ferguson with his own eyes.  He’s coached him, and and watched him in his offense.  As talented as Hackenberg is, and as much as he’s studied the PSU offense, he hasn’t taken a single snap or thrown a single pass under the tutelage of O’Brien or Charlie Fisher.  Of course the known quantity is going to have a slight edge at this point.  What still baffles me is the insistence of some (many?) that Hackenberg has to start.  I have absolute faith that if he does, it’s because he’s the best option, and he’s 100% ready.  But I’m not exactly rushing to throw another true freshman into the fire.  He’s not Rob Bolden, and this is not the old coaching staff.  But I can count on 1 hand the number of quarterbacks in BCS conferences that have started as true freshman, and gone on to big things.

One other area BOB addressed was the transfer of Steven Bench.  He said that over the course of the 15 spring practices, not just the Blue-White Game, Ferguson had pulled slightly ahead of Bench.  It has been speculated, and confirmed by Bench’s father, that O’Brien had told Steven that Ferguson would be splitting time with Hackenberg with the first team upon his arrival, leaving little chance to compete for the starting position.

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Now, what does Penn State do going forward?  In the immediate future, it is of course turn to JUCO transfer Tyler Ferguson, and incoming star freshman Christian Hackenberg.  Ferguson was good, bad, and everything in between in the public’s first glimpse at the sophomore from California in the Blue-White Game.  Hackenberg has long been seen as a future star at quarterback, but Wednesday’s revelation might could make that future much sooner than anyone would have anticipated.  It had long been expected that either Bench or Ferguson would start, with the other backing up, and Hackenberg redshirting.  Now, PSU will be going just 2 deep with scholarship QBs, while run ons D.J. Crook and Austin Whipple will be joined by Jack Seymour this summer lay in reserve.

If the talk is true, and O’Brien plans to work both Hackenberg and Ferguson with the first team, it would seem pretty clear that Hackenberg is a legit contender to start this fall.  And even if he does not, he’s likely just a snap away from playing, and burning any possible redshirt.

Moving forward, all that talk of whether or not PSU needs a QB in the 2014 recruiting class goes out the window.  Unless Seymour impresses on his arrival, PSU needs a 3rd scholarship quarterback.  The first choice is very clearly IMG Academy signal caller Michael O’Connor, who visited PSU earlier this spring, and picked up an offer shortly after.  O’Connor said at the time that Charlie Fisher and O’Brien told him they were only taking 1 QB this year, and he was their top choice.  Indications earlier this month were O’Connor intended to make his decision sooner rather than later as well.

OBrien should also be commended for the timing of this.  While it leaves PSU is a bit of a quandry from a depth standpoint, he was also very upfront with Bench.  He could have very easily waited until the fall when all 3 were in camp, when the transfer rules revert back to “normal”.  Instead of that, he informed Bench of his decision as soon as it was made, allowing him to transfer without losing a year, as well as when other programs are not as set with their own rosters as they would be by the fall.

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Both guys are athletic, bright guys, and they’re competitive and working hard at it. Both guys have had good plays and bad plays. They’re about even right now, and I really enjoy coaching them.

Yeah, I know, Christian Hackenberg is on his way, and will have something to say about that.  But, I am also of the firm opinion that unless he is far and away the best QB, Bench or Ferguson is the guy, with the other backing up, and Hackenberg redshirting.  I have absolutely no inside info to back this up, but it’s not far fetched to think BOB doesn’t want to throw a true freshman right into the fire.  There’s a reason so few true freshman step right in and start at the collegiate level.

So what does this all mean? Should we be worried?  In few words, not much, and no.  No one in their right mind expected O’Brien to be in a position to name a starter coming out of camp like he did last year.  In his first season, he had two players (McGloin and Bolden) with starting experience, and plenty of snaps, plus talented Paul Jones.  This year, it’s very different.  Bench has just a handful of snaps as a true freshman, and Ferguson has but one season of JUCO experience.  Unless one of these guys showed he was far and away the best player, they’re each going to get every chance to earn it.

Part of me also feels like O’Brien is using the approaching arrival of Hackenberg to provide a little extra motivation.  It’s no secret that coaches use every tool at their disposal, and the consensus top pro style QB in the country showing up on campus to try and take your job  should do the trick.

This will of course be the story to follow all summer, but the next two weeks, culminating in Beaver Stadium for the Blue White Game will be crucial for both guys.

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With all due respect to Jake Seymour, Austin Whipple, and D.J. Crook, this is a three horse race at best.  Rising sophomore Steven Bench, JUCO transfer (and sophomore eligible) Tyler Ferguson, and incoming uber recruit Christian Hackenberg are the three names we’ll be discussing in the coming months.  Here’s our incredibly early, and overly speculative look, at those three.

STEVEN BENCH

Going back to his high school tape, Steven has very impressive accuracy, and an above average arm.  There are several areas that give him an advantage over the other two candidates, the biggest of which is of course his experience.  A full season in the program, learning the offense, the coaches, and his teammates, is no small thing.  He is also of course the only QB on the roster to have taken a snap for the Nittany Lions.  One area that I do not think gets nearly enough attention is his athleticism.  For a big guy, Bench runs rather well (4.68 40 as a high school senior).  In his brief stint vs. Virginia, you saw a little read option, which I would not be surprised is something O’Brien wouldn’t mind adding to his offense, if he has a QB that can execute it.

TYLER FERGUSON

Tyler filled a huge need on the QB depth chart when he committed to PSU in December, and enrolling just weeks later in January.  At the time Penn State faced the prospect of just 2 scholarship QBs in the fall, and just 1 in the Spring.  Ferguson is hardly a place holder though.  In his first season at College of the Sequoias, he threw for 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns.  Tyler has a big time arm, and certainly looks the part at 6’5″, 210 lbs.  Joining the program in January will of course give him the opportunity to not only study the playbook, but work with the staff throughout spring ball. He is also the only player in this competition to have played more than a few snaps above high school.  Sure, junior college isn’t exactly Ohio State, but there is most definitely a step up in competition that should serve Tyler well.

CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG

There is not much I can say here that we haven’t already said about Christian.  If you were to write down all the traits you want in a quarterback, he has it, size, arm strength, accuracy, and probably most importantly, the desire to be great.  It wasn’t long after he signed his letter of intent, that he began tweeting about digging into the Lions’ playbook. About the only thing holding back Hackenberg is he won’t be on campus until this summer, while Ferguson and Bench will be getting reps with their teammates, and working with the coaching staff.

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Ferguson filled a huge need for PSU, as they were in danger of entering spring practice with just 1 scholarship quarterback, Steven Bench, and the regular season with 1 more (Christian Hackenberg) on the roster in the fall for the season.  Ferguson’s commitment and subsequent early enrollment not only calmed a lot of nerves, but gave Penn State a pretty talented player.

Ferguson is a 6’5″, 210 lbs., with the arm to match the body, judging by the video below.  Not highly recruited out of high schoo, due in part to a collarbone injury suffered that season, he enrolled at California’s College of the Sequoias. All he did during his first season at the JUCO level was throw for over 2,600 yards, and 26 touchdowns.

247 Sports rated Ferguson at 4 stars.  In addition to Houston, he also held offers from Akron and Florida Atlantic.

Check out Tyler’s high school video

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November 24, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Bill O

When Bill O’Brien took over in January, he made no secret about the rigors of the quarterback position, and how much he asks of the guy he puts under center.  He also promised a true competition for the starting spot, and that whoever won it, would be his guy.  Matt McGloin, Rob Bolden, and Paul Jones entered Spring practice with the proverbial clean slate and equal time to impress O’Brien and new quarterback coach Charlie Fisher.  None of the three were terribly impressive in the Blue-White scrimmage, but fan sentiment seemed to favor Jones, if for no other reason than we had all seen the other two options.  Jones at least provided the raw talent, and the “can’t be worse” factor.  However, on June 1st, McGloin was named PSU’s starter.  By the time fall camp started, Bolden was in Baton Rouge, and when camp broke, freshman Steven Bench had supplanted Jones as the backup.  By the time Big 10 season came around, Paul Jones had moved to tight end, and then left the program.  It was clear that position was McGloin’s.

As with practically every other spot on the offense, it was very clear early how well McGloin had taken to O’Brien’s offense.  Not only was he making all the throws, he showed a remarkable ability to get the Lions into the right play on many occasions.  For a quarterback that was virtually forbidden making an audible at the line, McGloin relished the opportunity to change the play. When asked by the BTN crew during fall camp what his favorite part about the new offense was, McGloin told the gang “checking at the line and going downfield”.  In essence, f*** it, going deep.

About the only weakness McGloin showed was with blitz recognition, and dealing with pressure.  O’Brien and Fisher coached out many of the flaws in his game, but even when faced with heavy pressure and no chance to make a play, McGloin often sought to buy more time, ultimately costing the offense more yardage.  In PSU’s two Big 10 losses, McGloin also threw costly interceptions, giving both Ohio State and Nebraska early 2nd half momentum.  The Buckeyes took their interception back for 6, while Nebraska’s set up an offensive score.  However, given where he was just a few months prior, the advances McGloin made were astonishing.

September 22, 2012; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Matthew McGloin (11) reacts after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Temple Owls at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Temple 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Rob Christy-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into 2013, O’Brien will again have a major decision to make with his signal caller.  Steven Bench is the only quarterback currently on the roster returning next season.  JUCO transfer Tyler Ferguson from California will be arriving on campus in January with 3 years of eligibility, and will be expected to challenge Bench for the starting spot in spring practice.  Blue chip recruit Christian Hackenberg is also expected to sign with Penn State in February, and arrive on campus for the first summer session in June.  With Ferguson’s arrival, the staff will have the option to potentially redshirt Hackenberg, and still have two scholarship QBs available.

With the steps McGloin took this season with just 10 months of coaching from O’Brien and Fisher, you can’t help but wonder how much better McGloin could be.  His grasp of the offense, and close relationship with O’Brien had me wondering at times during the season if we might not see him back at PSU down the road as graduate assistant or assistant coach.  With all that said, and with the record breaking season McGloin had, it’s hard to go any direction other than an A.

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It was a bizarre 24 or so hours for Penn State and Ferguson, who had committed to Houston Thursday morning.  However, when Waters selected the Wildcats, O’Brien did not waste any time extending an offer to the Bakersfield, California native.  Ferguson quickly withdrew his commitment from Houston to reconsider his decision.  It was thought that Tyler would attempt to visit State College this weekend prior to making a decision, but did not need to make the trip, committing to Penn State Friday afternoon.

Following the Waters announcement, Penn State was left with just rising sophomore Steven Bench as the only scholarship QB headed into winter conditioning and spring practice.  Ferguson is expected to enroll at PSU next month, and add to the depth, along with Christian Hackenberg, who will arrive over the summer.

At 6’5″, 210 lbs, Ferguson certainly looks the part, and has the arm strength to match.  In his first year at College of the Sequoias, Ferguson threw for over 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns.  Ferguson will enroll in January, and therefore count towards the 2012 signing class, which is not limited by the NCAA sanctions, and have 3 years of eligibility remaining.

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