Penn State football: 9 most important players to making CFP

Dec 28, 2019; Arlington, Texas, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin celebrates with wide receiver Jahan Dotson (5) and quarterback Sean Clifford (14) after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Memphis Tigers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

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(Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports) /

QB Sean Clifford

As always, it starts with the quarterback, and the Nittany Lions have high hopes for Sean Clifford in his second season as a starter.

"“His accuracy is improving every day,” Penn State offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said recently, via Lions 24/7. “Sean has got an unbelievable work ethic so he’s just going to continue to grow and I’m excited to see where he can go. We’re kind of moving into this next phase now. We’ve been doing seven-on-sevens and now we’ll get into team phases, which will be part of a continuous growth and understanding of this offense.”"

Clifford won’t have K.J. Hamler at wide receiver to create explosive plays downfield, but he will have a an All-American tight end in Pat Friermuth, and arguably the deepest backfield in the country behind him.

If Clifford can build on his 2,654 yard, 23 touchdown 2019 campaign, the Nittany Lions offense has the chance to be prolific, once again.

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