3 major takeaways from Sean Clifford returning to Penn State Football in 2022
Penn State Football quarterback Sean Clifford announced via his social media pages Friday that he will be returning for his final season in 2022
Burn the boats, Sean Clifford is staying in Happy Valley.
The redshirt senior quarterback announced on his social media pages Friday that he will be returning for a final season with the Penn State Football program in 2022.
Clifford will presumably be the starting quarterback when Penn State Football heads to Purdue to open the season, which changes the entire dynamic of the offseason for this program and possibly the expectations for next season.
We will have to wait and see what other players decide to stay in school for another year and what transfers, if any, head coach James Franklin can get to State College, but with Clifford back instead of turning to a true freshman or a transfer portal quarterback, Nittany Lions fans should feel a whole lot better about 2022.
Before they play their final game of 2021 in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas on New Years Day, Clifford’s return is major news.
Let’s take a look at three major takeaways from what Sean Clifford’s return means for Penn State Football in 2022 and beyond:
3. Veteran leadership for a young quarterback room
Without Clifford, Penn State Football would have been entering next season with two freshmen and Christian Veilleux as viable quarterback options unless they turned to the transfer portal for some help.
Clifford’s return allows the freshman, particularly top-rated quarterback and five-star recruit Drew Allar time to grow up and develop, not just on the field but off.
Allar said on the Lions247 podcast this week he would welcome Clifford’s return so he could soak up all the knowledge he has.
As a guy with over 30 starts under his belt, it would benefit Allar to study how Clifford watched film, acts off the field to prepare his body for the grind of a season and is a leader of his teammates, as Clifford is a three-time captain.
The Nittany Lions also have a brutal start to the 2022 schedule, where they will open the season yet again on the road in Big Ten play at Purdue, will travel to Auburn in week three, and then get Ohio State and Michigan in consecutive weeks in games five and six.
With the presumed loss of top target Jahan Dotson, and behind a shaky offensive line, that is not the way you want to throw your freshman quarterback into the fire.
He will be 18 years old and a bad first few games can ruin confidence and psyche, to a point of it having long-term effects on his career in Happy Valley.
Clifford wIll be the adult in the room and will be a huge asset in the growth and development of Drew Allar and the other young quarterbacks on the roster.