Penn State football has been aggressive in the transfer portal thus far but has yet to land the big headline or add a quarterback.
Penn State Football head coach James Franklin was open with the media when talking about his plans for the transfer portal this offseason. So far, he has not disappointed as Penn State football has landed commitments from former Baylor running back John Lovett, South Carolina cornerback John Dixon and their newest addition, Duke defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo.
Until this offseason, the biggest addition the Nittany Lions had made from the portal was kicker Jordan Stout, so it is fair to say this is out of the ordinary for Franklin and this program.
Franklin had previously been a vocal critic of the portal and transfers, as has athletic director Sandy Barbour, however, this is college football in 2020 and sometimes it’s adapt or die.
The Nittany Lions’ 2021 recruiting class has only 15 members through the early signing day period, marking the smallest class of Franklin’s tenure at Penn State. The small class gives Penn State the flexibility to add through the portal for the first time.
All three players seem to be guys that will come in right away, and either start or make significant impacts, however, the pending quarterback decisions continue to loom over the program. Quarterback Sean Clifford finished the season strong, leading the conference in passing yards(1,883) and touchdowns(16).
It’s Clifford’s play early on in the season that resulted in him being benched week 4 at Nebraska that Penn State football can’t just write off, and why the portal may provide an answer to their quarterback problems.
The success stories of Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts, and Joe Burrow make the transfer portal seem like a no brainer for a team like Penn State football to search for a quarterback.
But, for every Fields there is a Chase Brice, Anthony Brown and Jake Bentley. All three quarterbacks, who went elsewhere and ended up losing a quarterback battle in their new home. The wild card could potentially be a quarterback that is on one of the four playoff teams who has yet to enter the portal, which could shale things up in a few weeks.
There is no sure fire home run like a Fields or Burrow in the portal this offseason, and with proven quarterbacks like McKenzie Milton and Charlie Brewer off the board, Penn State football is faced with the question; are any of these guys a significant upgrade over Clifford? a player who now has a year in this offense under his belt, is comfortable with their receivers? A swing and a miss in the portal at the most important position in the sport could do more harm then any Clifford overthrow or interception.
Let’s take a look at and rank the three best quarterback options left in the transfer portal right now:
Jack Coan – Wisconsin
Penn State football fans will be familiar with this name, as Coan spent the last three years at Wisconsin, starting 19 games over 2018 and 2019 before an injury sidelined him for all of 2020.
In his first full year as a starter in 2019, Coan threw for 2,727 yards and 18 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions, leading the Badgers to the Big Ten Championship game and eventually the Rose Bowl, where they would lose by 1 point to the Oregon Ducks.
The Sayville, New York native is by no mean a dual threat, as he ran for a mere 22 yards last season. Coan is a pocket passer and really defines the term “game manager” in every sense of the word. With only eight interceptions in 19 starts, the former Badger will not throw you out of a game, but will not win you one either.
Coan’s high watermark for passing yards in a conference game is 280, coming in last years regular season finale against Minnesota. The senior is efficient though, completing just about 70% of his passes in his career.
Coan is not a more talented passer nor a better athlete than Clifford, who ran for 335 yards this season, but would most likely provide more stability at the position, in terms of not turning the ball over. Franklin mentioned turnovers seemingly after every loss this season, and could be intrigued by a guy like Coan, especially as a grad transfer who will only be here for one year.
Jace Ruder – North Carolina
Quarterback Jace Ruder enters the portal, along with fellow teammate Vincent Amendola, after neither has seen any real playing time due to standout quarterback Sam Howell’s arrival in Chapel Hill.
Ruder is a former highly touted four-star recruit out of Norton, Kansas ranked as the 336th player in the 2018 recruiting cycle.
Penn State football recruited and offered Ruder out of high school, as at the time former offensive coordinators Joe Moorhead and Ricky Rahne were seeking the Norton native’s services.
Ranked as the 18th best dual threat quarterback in his class, and understandably so, as he is the prototype size at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds.
Ruder is rather green, as he has only completed seven of 10 career passes for 98 yards while rushing 11 times for 40 yards as well. An injury against Georgia Tech his freshman season and a broken leg early in 2019 against App State hindered his chances at seeing the field, serving mostly as Howell’s backup in 2020.
The intrigue with Ruder for Penn State football is that he is a redshirt sophomore, and with the extra year of eligibility due to this covid-19 year, Ruder would have three years of eligibility in Happy Valley if he were to come. The opposite of a proven commodity in Jack Coan, Ruder has a high ceiling and untapped potential and could be a swing for the fences type of addition for Franklin.
Hendon Hooker – Virginia Tech
Quarterback Hendon Hooker will be available via a grad-transfer from the Hokies program, and is the definitive best and most accomplished option left in the transfer portal.
Hooker has started 14 games over the past two seasons in Blacksburg, throwing for 2,894 yards and 22 touchdowns while also rushing for 976 yards and 14 scores in that span.
At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, a true dual-threat at quarterback, Hooker can beat you with his arm and legs, almost doubling his rushing total in 2020 from 2019, proving he can beat teams in more ways then one. The Greensboro, North Carolina native is a former four star recruit, ranked as the 11th best dual threat quarterback in the 2017 class.
The junior’s coming out party came in Week 3 of 2019, with a three touchdown performance against the Miami Hurricanes in a thrilling 42-35 victory. Hooker is 8-6 as a starter but was 6-2 in 2019 for solid Hokies team that saw a significant drop off in talent in 2020.
Hooker did not have an offer from Penn State football coming out of high school, so time will tell if Franklin and staff have been able to build any connections to the former Hokie, however Hooker potentially presents a legitimate upgrade at the quarterback position for 2021. As a grand transfer he will only have one year left of eligibility, not hindering any long term plans for redshirt freshman Ta’Quan Roberson or incoming freshman Christian Veilleux.