Three reasons to be optimistic about Sean Clifford

Reason #3 – Offensive continuity and balance

Talking about Sean Clifford benefitting from offensive continuity in year two under Mike Yurcich might sound redundant at this point, but it’s the truth.

Clifford himself even said during Big Ten media day that in the first offseason under a new offense, you’re learning that offense, but in the second, you’re mastering it.

The last time Clifford was in the same offensive system for the second consecutive year? 2019, which was the second and final year of the Ricky Rhane era. However, he has never been the starting quarterback for back-to-back seasons under the same offensive coordinator.

Is it just a coincidence that his best season to date was his only season with the same coordinator in consecutive seasons? It might be, and we won’t know for sure until this 2022 campaign gets rolling, but it’s certainly a reason to feel optimistic that Sean Clifford will have a good season.

Along with continuity within the system, an improved offense around Sean Clifford not only makes his job easier, but it also allows Mike Yurcich to call a more balanced game.

More specifically, I’m talking about the running game.

What projects as an improved rushing attack will greatly benefit Clifford and the offense, as it will keep defenses on their toes as well as takes a lot off of the quarterback’s plate.

The Sean Clifford that we saw prior to his injury last season was arguably the best version of him that we have seen so far, and with potentially more help around him combined with an opportunity for him to now master Mike Yurcich’s offense, he could be even better.