Penn State football: When will James Franklin name a starting QB?
As starting quarterback announcements get made around the league, when will Penn State football follow the trend?
In less than two weeks from now, Penn State football will take the field for the first time heading into the 2019 NCAA football season. While the program is set for another highly anticipated run, nobody truly knows what to expect from the 2019 Nittany Lions.
This season is going to have a weird look right off the bat for obvious reasons. After three successful years with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Trace McSorley under center, Penn State is looking to find the NFL rookie’s replacement.
Penn State head coach James Franklin has been amped for a quarterback competition all summer long. As his assumed replacement for McSorley packed up and left for another program in the SEC, Franklin didn’t lose his confidence in his offensive unit. In fact, he embraced the change.
So Tommy Stevens left Penn State — big deal. That just opens up the door early for Sophomore passer Sean Clifford, and Freshman quarterback, Will Levis.
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They might not have the same experience that Stevens had, but now Franklin can get a head start on what is assumed to be a successful multi-year stint with his new starting quarterback. The only question is: Who is the starting quarterback going to be?
Waiting on a decision…
Clifford and Levis both understood that a starting role wouldn’t be guaranteed until at least a couple of weeks into camp. While Clifford is assumed to be the winner, Levis has been giving him a run for his money. Franklin made it clear that when there is an obvious winner, an announcement would be made to the public. So far, we haven’t been informed of any changes.
Over the last week or so, tons of programs have made their announcements regarding starting quarterback positions. Notably, the Lions’ Big Ten foes, Ohio State named their new starting quarterback on Monday, giving the job to the obvious candidate, Justin Fields.
With all of the announcements making their way to the public, we can’t help but think when are the Lions going to announce theirs finally? Well, PennLive’s Greg Pickel speculates that decision could come as early as Tuesday if history does, in fact, repeat itself in Happy Valley.
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“It was Aug. 24, 2016, when head coach James Franklin opened his final news conference of training camp by announcing that Trace McSorley had beaten out Tommy Stevens for the right to replace Christian Hackenberg,” Pickel writes.
“Franklin will hold his final training camp chat with reporters tonight [Tuesday] following yet another practice in State College. The team is on the cusp of transitioning to its first game week this coming Sunday.” As Franklin plans to meet with the media on Tuesday for his final training camp presser, there is some speculation that a decision should be coming very soon.