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Penn State Football: five players that need to exceed expectations in 2022

By Nick Kreiser

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 23: Caedan Wallace #79 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in action against Isaiah Gay #92 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 23, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 23: Caedan Wallace #79 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in action against Isaiah Gay #92 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 23, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Fall camp begins in just a few days for the Penn State Football, and if the team hopes to exceed the expectations of many, they will need a handful of specific players to exceed expectations as well.

One of just two returning starters from last year’s dismal offensive line is going to need to step up and surpass expectations, as well a veteran member of a thin linebacking corps.

Some other members of the defense who will be expected to step in and replace NFL Draft picks will also need to play at a higher level than what the average fan might think they’re capable of.

Then of course there’s the elephant in the room: Sean Clifford. Where he goes, the offense likely will follow, and seeing as though an overwhelming majority of fans think very poorly of the sixth-year quarterback, he’s an obvious candidate.

Beginning with Clifford, here are the five Nittany Lions who will need to exceed expectations for the team to be successful in 2022.

Penn State Football quarterback – Sean Clifford

IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 9: Quarterback Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions scrambles on a keeper during the first half in front of defensive lineman John Waggoner #92 and defensive end Joe Evans #13 of the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 9: Quarterback Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions scrambles on a keeper during the first half in front of defensive lineman John Waggoner #92 and defensive end Joe Evans #13 of the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

When you read the headline, Sean Clifford is probably the first name that popped into your mind, and rightfully so.

We know that Penn State’s ceiling with Sean Clifford under center is somewhere around the 11-2 mark, because they’ve done it before. That 2019 season was not coincidentally Sean Clifford’s best individual season among his three so far as the Nittany Lions’ starter.

However, he has regressed since that Cotton Bowl season. He took a big step back in 2020, and while 2021 was slightly improved, it was still not the same Sean Clifford we saw in 2019.

As a result, expectations for No. 14 are not very high among most of the fanbase.

For the Nittany Lions to reach double-digit wins in 2022, Sean Clifford will need to exceed the expectations of most.

What exactly does that look like?

It doesn’t mean he has to shock the world and become a Heisman contender — though that would obviously be nice — but he needs to be able to manage games and limit mistakes. Cutting down on interceptions, negative plays, and incompletions on what should be relatively high percentage throws, will be key for Clifford.

If he can do that, Penn State will almost certainly exceed expectations this season.

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