Will Penn State Football return to College Football Playoff hunt in 2021?
L.J. Santa Maria – Penn State Football contributor
Season prediction: 10-2
Penn State Football enters 2021 with a lot of questions to answer after a tumultuous campaign last season, one that saw the program’s first ever 0-5 start, but ended with a four-game winning streak.
The focus this offseason, and rightfully so, has been about quarterback Sean Clifford, who will have his third offensive coordinator in as many years, and is under the spotlight after being benched in the team’s week four loss to Nebraska.
Yurcich has long been the apple of Franklin’s eye, so the onus will be on him put Clifford and his talented duo of wide receivers in positions to succeed. This is Penn State Football’s best collection of offensive playmakers since 2017, as Dotson and Washington form one of the best wide out tandems in the country.
Despite the obvious importance of quarterback play, the defense and more specifically, the defensive line and front seven need to be vastly improved in 2021, and right away as we are days away from their trip to Wisconsin.
This should be the best defensive secondary of the Franklin era, and could be one of the better units in not only the Big Ten, but the country.
If the defensive line can provide some pass rush and limit opponents on the ground, this could be a salty defense. Transfer defensive end Arnold Ebiketie will shoulder a large burden in the pass rush category with Adisa Isaac out for the year.