Penn State football QB Sean Clifford receiving proper recognition

Penn State football quarterback Sean Clifford has been added to the Manning Award Watch List this week.

At this point in the 2019 College Football season, it’s hard to doubt Penn State football quarterback, Sean Clifford. Heading into the year, nobody knew what to expect from the redshirt Sophomore, who only threw under ten passes in his young career.

Here we are, heading into week nine and not only are the Nittany Lions unbeaten at this point — but Clifford is playing some fantastic football. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Penn State passer has displayed some struggles thus far, and isn’t nearly perfect.

But name a quarterback in the NCAA who doesn’t struggle. Even some of the most prominent names in the game have had their fair share of issues this season, and Clifford isn’t any different. For the first few weeks, Clifford was praised in Happy Valley but wasn’t talked about much on a national stage, considering his strength of opponents.

After a 7-0 start, with some impressive numbers, though, Clifford is beginning to receive his proper recognition from the national media. And now, Clifford is being placed on the Manning Award watch list, as of Thursday afternoon.

While the numbers don’t say Clifford is the best quarterback in the country, at the very least, he is in the conversation with this honor. Heading into the ninth week of the season, Sean Clifford ranks within the top ten for his passer rating, which lands him ninth-overall in all of college football.

His 16 touchdown passes do not touch some of the top quarterbacks in the lead right now, but having only two interceptions on the year is highly impressive for a first-year starting quarterback. Winning the Manning award will be a tough task for Clifford, but just the simple fact that he’s in the conversation is something to feel good about when it comes to the Nittany Lions.