The transfer portal has quieted down a little of late and figures to pick back up again after spring practices and games, however a big name QB, Oregon’s Tyler Shough, entered the portal and might draw Penn State Football’s attention
Oregon quarterback Tyler Shough announced on Friday via his twitter that he will be entering the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining. Could he be a fit for Penn State Football?
Shough now joins former Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Bowman as the two big quarterback names in the portal, and speculation will undoubtedly run as to whether or not Penn State Football will look to add either.
Shough will garner a lot of power five attention, and rightfully so after starting seven games in 2020 for the Ducks and leading them to a Pac 12 title and the Fiesta Bowl. In seven games he passed for 1,559 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
After former quarterback Will Levis announced he is transferring to Kentucky, the Nittany Lions only have three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, one being true freshman Christian Veilleux, who just got to campus.
As it stands right now, it looks like Sean Clifford is the front runner to be the starter next fall, however expect redshirt freshman Ta’Quan Roberson to push Clifford this spring and summer and make a case for being the guy.
The two could not be more opposite, as Clifford is the experienced quarterback with 20 starts under his belt, but is limited in his skill sets, while Roberson has only attempted one pass in his college career but is filled with raw potential that could potentially be a game changer for the offense and program next fall.
Let’s take a look at why Shough does or does not make sense and a final breakdown of whether or not we think Penn State Football will pull the trigger on the former Duck:
Why Shough DOES make sense for the Nittany Lions
Quarterback Tyler Shough was very good in a shortened first season as starter, throwing for 1,559 yards and 13 touchdowns to six interceptions in former Penn State Football’s offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s offense at Oregon.
The former Oregon quarterback also showed his ability to be a bit of a dual threat last season, rushing for 271 yards on 66 carries with two touchdowns.
Shough is a former highly touted four-star recruit out of Arizona, ranked as the 140th best prospect in the 2018 class according to 247sports. Coming out of high school he chose Oregon over North Carolina, Michigan and Alabama among other big power five schools.
In only his first season under center, the sophomore quarterback was efficient in the passing game, completing 63.5% of his passes, averaged a stellar 14.3 yards per completion to go with a quarterback rating of 74.2.
In comparison, Penn State Football quarterback Sean Clifford completed 60.6% of passes while averaging just over 12 yards per completion and a quarterback rating of 69, trailing Shough in all categories.
Shough also did a good job of avoiding sacks last season, being sacked 11 times to Cliffords 22 in only one less game.
Who Shough does NOT make sense for Penn State Football
Shough had a very solid season in his first year as signal caller for the Ducks, however did struggle with turnovers, throwing six interceptions in only seven games.
The Ducks defeated USC in the Pac 12 championship, however did not really earn their birth to that spot and were only a a pinch-hitter in that game due to Covid-19 issues at Washington, who should have been there.
In that game, Shough was less than mediocre, completing 8-of-15 passes for a mere 91 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.
In the Fiesta Bowl loss to Iowa State, the sophomore completed seven of his first nine passes for 79 yards and one interception and was then benched for senior quarterback Anthony Brown.
With turnover issues and less then stellar play in the team’s two biggest games of the season, it begs the question; is Shough even better than Sean Clifford?
The answer is maybe, maybe not, but that should not be even a thought if Penn State Football is going to bring in a quarterback via the transfer portal.
Franklin most likely will only target a quarterback who provides a marked improvement at that position.
Do we think Franklin will try and bring Shough in?
Penn State Football fans should not hold their breath on Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich going and landing Tyler Shough out of the transfer portal.
Shough is not a substantial upgrade over Clifford and even potentially Roberson, as he was also sort of a game manager at Oregon and not the type of guy who will help Penn State Football get over the hump and into the college football playoffs.
With three years of remaining eligibility, bringing in the former Duck could have long term ramifications on the quarterback room. HIs arrival in State College could force the hand of a young player like Roberson to then seek out a transfer and enter the portal, taking the arrival of Shough as a sign that the staff does not see him as a starter in the short or long term.
If the Nittany Lions are going to dive into the portal for a quarterback, expect it to be a player with only one year of eligibility left who can come in and potentially start for one season, or a developmental quarterback who can come in and provide depth to the position group and potentially under Yurcich be a starter down the road.
All quarterbacks who enter the portal will certainly catch the eye of Penn State Foobtall fans, however Shough’s name is one they should continue to scroll past.