Penn State football quarterback Sean Clifford announces he’ll return for 2022 season
Redshirt senior Sean Clifford answered a lingering question for Penn State football fans on Friday, when he announced on Twitter that he’ll return next season.
“Penn State is more than football for me. It is family,” Clifford wrote. “My teammates, Coach Franklin, the staff and the community have shaped me into the man I am today and I am forever grateful. I am beyond thankful for the support system I have back home, as my mom, dad and brother have stood by me every step of the way.
“With that being said, I will be returning to Penn State to play one more season in the Blue & White.”
Clifford also wrote that the opportunity to play alongside his brother, Liam, “made this decision easy.” Liam Clifford is currently a freshman wide receiver for Penn State.
“I am extremely excited to finish this season strong in Tampa and then go to work with such a great group again! See y’all in Beaver soon ... WE ARE!”
Clifford, along with his Penn State teammates, are set to take on Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
The redshirt senior has the most passing yards of any season in his career so far with 2,912 on the year. He’s gone 247-for-396 with a career-high 62.4% completion rate, 20 touchdown passes and six interceptions on the year. He’s additionally rushed 87 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.
In nine games last season, Clifford went 152-for-251 (60.6%) on passes for 1,883 yards , 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He ran 99 times for 335 yards and three touchdowns.
Clifford has been the full-time starting quarterback for Penn State since his redshirt sophomore season in 2019, where he posted 189 completions out of 319 passes for a 59.2% rate, 2,654 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. He finished off the season with a Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis. He rushed 116 times for 402 yards and five touchdowns.
The class of 2017 was a 4-star prospect out of St. Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio, per 247Sports. He was the 198th-best player in the country, the eighth-best pro-style prospect and the seventh-best prospect in the state.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 1:50 PM.
