James Franklin must make these key changes to get Penn State Football back on track

James Franklin can’t afford to be loyal to a fault

There are a few primary positions that this will apply to in 2022, but quarterback may be the biggest one.

When writing about 2022 signees that could make an impact as true freshman, I mentioned that just because Allar will have the highest ceiling physically among all the quarterbacks on the roster, it does not mean that he will be ready to start right away.

An example is Trevor Lawrence at Clemson not starting for the first few weeks as a true freshman, as well as examples of NFL star quarterbacks who sat and learned to begin their career, such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes, even if just for a fraction of a season.

However, if Allar does progress nicely from now until September, and makes it relatively close between himself, Clifford, and Christian Veilleux, Franklin needs to roll with Allar, and not gift the job to Clifford simply because of his veteran status.

Additionally, if Clifford or Veilleux do begin the season as the starter because Allar is not quite ready to take the reins, they need to be on a short leash. If they’re going to take their lumps, take them with Allar at quarterback making a few freshman mistakes that he can learn from.

This can be applied to other positions as well. If an upperclassman is struggling, and their backup is an underclassman who shows promise when they get their opportunity, Franklin needs to make the switch. We don’t need another Koa Farmer starting over Micah Parsons situation like we had in 2018.