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Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff Writer
INDIANAPOLIS — With last season’s starting quarterback Sean Clifford graduated, Penn State coach James Franklin said at Big Ten media days his offense is still in a competition phase for the starting quarterback job.
Clifford was a four-year starter for the Nittany Lions and finished his career as Penn State’s all-time leader in wins as the starting quarterback with 32. He is no longer on the roster, and the staff is now looking at Drew Allar and Beau Pribula to step up and take the job.
“A lot of people are talking about Drew and what he brings to the table, and he got a ton of experience last year playing 10 games. So, I understand why the excitement is there, 6-foot-5, 242 pounds, can make all the throws,” Franklin said. “But Beau Pribula is a guy that everybody in our program has a ton of respect for as well. So that’s going to be an interesting competition throughout the entire camp.”
Franklin notes that the team has had a competition at the position prior to every season, but this is the first time in four years the staff doesn’t have an incumbent starter returning to the roster.
Allar has gotten most of the attention as the No. 51-ranked recruit in the 2022 class and a highly touted prospect in high school. He completed 35 of 60 pass attempts last season for 344 yards and four touchdowns, putting some of his talent on display.
Franklin says Allar has done all the right things since he got to campus and still has more to show on the field, but the quarterback position has been an area where the Nittany Lions have needed to see improvement to compete nationally.
Despite the success that Clifford saw in his career, Penn State ranked No. 46 in pass yards per game last season and 22 in total pass touchdowns.
“We’ve been real close, we’ve won three New Year’s Six bowl games, so we’ve done some really good things,” Franklin said. “But, having a difference-maker at the quarterback position, sometimes that’s enough to get you into that championship game or the playoffs.”
The competition to find that game-changer is still ongoing, and Franklin says he won’t know whether they have that guy until he can see the product on the field. But as he and his staff head into fall camp, they’re watching very specific details to figure out who the next starter will be.
“Obviously you’re going to trust your gut and your instincts on those things, as well, but you have the data to back it up,” Franklin said. “It’ll obviously be watching how they move the offense, the confidence that their teammates have and then obviously a lot of the data and analytics that go with it, as well, to make sure that what your gut is telling you aligns with what the numbers say.”