Penn State football ended the season on a high note, and has decided to forego a bowl berth in 2020, officially entering the offseason, which could bring unique changes
Penn State football won their fourth straight Saturday night defeating Illinois 56-21, after opening the season 0-5, finishing the 2020 campaign at 4-5, the Nittany Lions‘ first losing season since 2004.
After Saturday’s game, Penn State Football captains and seniors decided to forego a bowl appearance, officially putting an end to the season and starting what feels like a rather crucial offseason for head coach James Franklin’s program.
A lot of talk these next few weeks will be centered around who stays and who goes.
The twist this offseason, is an NCAA rule that states this year will not count towards eligibility for any players, meaning seniors could come back in 2021, freshmen will once again be freshmen next year. The seniors who stay will not count towards the 85 man roster, so it will not hinder the addition of the 2021 freshman class or any potential transfers.
In addition to extra eligibility, the NCAA council voted to approve a proposal to make all transfers immediately eligible. In the past, players needed to appeal for immediate eligibility, and like most things in college athletics, it was hit or miss. This new rule creates college football free agency, and already we are seeing record numbers of student athletes entering the transfer portal.
In the past, Franklin has used the transfer portal sparingly, losing more players to it then gaining. However, when asked about it during last week’s press conference, Franklin was surprisingly honest about Penn State Football’s plans.
"“We have typically signed a full class to try to get to our 85, where a lot of programs have saved scholarships for the transfer market,” Franklin said. “We’re also going to be involved in that. So, when you talk about transfers, we’re going to be looking at defensive ends, we’re going to be looking at defensive backs from a transfer perspective, or in the second recruiting cycle. Those are areas that we’re going to be focused on.”"
Andy Frank, the Penn State Football Director of Player Personnel, was also candid with his expectations of how the Nittany Lions will look to add talent where they can.
"“I think we all kind of realize that, in the past, for us at Penn State, transfers were not a big part of our overall recruiting process. That will change.” Frank explained."
It is particularly telling that Franklin went as far as naming certain positions, even though that should come as no surprise to most Penn State football fans. The Nittany Lions will most likely lose both starting safeties and both starting defensive ends to the NFL this offseason.
Even though Franklin did not specifically mention it, Penn State fans will almost certainly be keeping a close eye on the quarterback market, as redshirt junior Sean Clifford struggled at times this season, turning the ball over 12 times in nine games.
Last week, a pair of now former Virginia Tech Hokies announced they will be entering the transfer portal. Quarterback Hendon Hooker and offensive linemen Doug Nester will now be available, and each present themselves as potentially intriguing options for Penn State football.
Lets take a more in depth look at Hooker and Nester and what they could bring to the blue and white:
QB – Hendon Hooker
Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker announced he will be grand-transferring out of the Hokies program, after starting six games and appearing in eight this season.
In those six starts, Hooker threw for 1,339 and nine touchdowns to only five interceptions. The intriguing aspect with Hooker is he is a true dual threat, as he ran for 620 yards and nine touchdowns on 120 attempts.
Hooker was even better in 2019, playing in 11 games, making eight starts, the senior threw for 1,555 and 13 touchdowns, to two interceptions. He also ran for 356 yards and five touchdowns.
In comparison, this season current Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford started 8 games and threw for 1,883 and 16 scores, while rushing for 335 yards and three touchdowns. The numbers are similar, but a lot of Clifford’s passing numbers came in the second half of games when Penn State football was down a few possessions. The glaring difference is the turnovers, as Clifford turned the ball over 12 times in 2020, with nine interceptions and three fumbles.
The North Carolina native is a former four star recruit, ranked as the 11th best dual-threat quarterback in the 2017 class, who had offers from Clemson, Oregon and Notre Dame to name a few.
At six-foot-four and 220 pounds, Hooker is the prototype dual-threat quarterback who can beat you with his arm or his legs.
Being a grad transfer, Hooker would only be with the Nittany Lions for a season, so if they do have plans for redshirt freshman Ta’Quan Roberson or incoming freshman Christian Veilleux to one day taking over as “the guy,” Hooker would not hinder any of those prospects long term.
Joe Burrow, Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts showed the college football world what the potential of hitting a homerun in the transfer portal at that position can due for a program. All three of those guys were transfers, and they were all Heisman finalist last year, while Burrow took the award home. Even more so, all three of their respective teams made the college football playoff, while Burrow’s LSU Tigers claimed the national title.
After Clifford struggled with turnovers and accuracy issues, Hooker would be a substantial upgrade, at least on paper. With the talent Penn State football has stacked up in their last few recruiting classes, a stud quarterback could be the thing that puts them over the top in 2021 and beyond.
OG – Doug Nester
Penn State football fans who keep up with recruiting will remember Nester as one who got away when he signed with the Hokies in 2019.
Nester had it down to Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and his hometown West Virginia Mountaineers, before ultimately signing with Va. Tech.
Nester was highly touted coming out of high school, a high four star recruit who also participated in the Army All-American bowl. He was the 106th ranked player, the highest ranked prospect of the Hokies 2019 class.
As a true freshman Nester stepped in and played 11 games, starting in 10 of them at right guard for a Hokies squad that went 8-5, losing the Belk Bowl to Kentucky. He earned honorable mention All-Freshman honors per Pro Football Focus. This season the sophomore started all six games at left guard and was awarded ACC offensive linemen of the week honors for his week four performance against Boston College.
The West Virginia native is an intriguing potential option for Penn State football because the offensive line has a lot of questions to answer this offseason. Left tackle Rasheed Walker is a redshirt sophomore who is draft eligible, and would almost certainly be taken in the first few rounds of April’s NFL draft if he decides to leave. Center Michael Menet is a fifth year senior headed for the Reese’s Senior Bowl so it would be no shock if he did not return and entered his name into the draft.
At guard, Will Fries is a fifth year senior who said he will have to speak with the coaching staff to determine his future. Guard Juice Scruggs has been a pleasant surprise coming back from injury, but it is a unit that could certainly make room for a talent like Nester.
The line started to come into it’s own after inserting redshirt freshman Caedan Wallace in at right tackle, but still had some shaky moments this season, as no quarterback was sacked more in the Big Ten then Penn State football’s Sean Clifford.
A team that is heavily reliant on the ground game and has suspect quarterback play could always use all the offensive line help it can get.