Depth chart breakdown: Where Penn State football stands at quarterback in 2022
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Depth chart breakdown
Where does Penn State football stand heading into the 2022 season? Read our series analyzing each position.
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Penn State is in need of a bounce back campaign after a 7-6 season in 2021 and that will begin with more help at the quarterback position.
Let’s take a look at where the position stands heading into the 2022 season.
Projected starter: Redshirt senior Sean Clifford
For the second year in a row Sean Clifford is likely to — and should be — the most scrutinized player on Penn State’s roster. He’s entering his sixth season on campus and fourth as the starting quarterback. The team’s play has fluctuated in that time, with its appearance in the Cotton Bowl in his first year as a starter being the high point.
Since then the Nittany Lions have generally been worse with certain high points mixed in.
Their hot start in 2021 was arguably Clifford’s best stretch of play, but in all reality it wasn’t drastically different from who he has proven to be in the past. He received plenty of credit for throwing for more than 400 yards against an inferior opponent like Villanova, but his best game came against Auburn. There were some of the errant passes to the middle of the field that have been part of his game since he became the starter, but Clifford was mostly able to manage a relatively mistake-free game.
That’s the type of performance he’ll need to have consistently in 2022. Not one where he lights the world on fire and carries the offense, but one where he adequately distributes the ball to his playmakers and lets them make things happen in space.
Clifford is a good athlete who ran the ball much less last year under offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and that should be the case again this season.
Taking the rushing element away from his play takes away a relative strength and puts the onus on his arm. He has enough arm strength to make any necessary throws, but can be erratic, regardless of situation. Sometimes it shows up while throwing to a wide open receiver, sometimes it’s when there’s nowhere to go with the ball. Clifford’s accuracy issues are unlikely to go away at this point and should be expected again.
The biggest areas for realistic improvement are with his presence in the pocket and decision making. Clifford took a step forward when it came to handling the pass rush last season, but still occasionally forced throws when he didn’t need to. Taking another step forward in both areas would go a long way in creating a baseline of play for him.
It’s unlikely he will become a brand new quarterback at this point, but having consistency this season would allow Penn State to succeed on the back of its defense and playmakers on offense. Doing that would be a reasonable step forward and one that could help put Penn State in position to win double-digit games this season.
Key backup: Redshirt freshman Christian Veilleux
The Nittany Lions only have one quarterback behind Clifford with game experience in Veilleux, so it’s hard to envision any other player getting the first shot if the redshirt senior were to miss game time.
Even so, Veilleux’s game experience is fairly limited. He appeared in two games in 2021 — his true freshman season — and only saw extended action in one of them. His college debut against Rutgers saw him attempt 24 passes, completing 15 of them for 235 yards and three touchdowns while showing the attributes that made him a desirable high school recruit.
Veilleux has enough arm talent to make every throw necessary and can change speeds with his passes. He’s capable of putting air under the ball and lifting it over the top of defensive backs to spots only his receiver can reach, while also showing the ability to put extra velocity on his passes to fit them into tight windows.
The biggest issue for Veilleux was his lack of experience, which was also impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. He didn’t play football his senior year because the season was canceled. That meant he went from playing as a high school junior to his debut as a freshman without seeing live action against an opponent.
He struggled with accuracy at times in high school, but those issues were less prevalent against Rutgers. The two pass attempts he had against Arkansas in the Outback Bowl came with the game already in hand and are difficult to put much stock into because of the circumstances — with him coming in late for a dinged up Clifford.
Veilleux should be viewed as a reliable backup at the moment with the opportunity to be much more in the near future. If there is going to be a quarterback that somehow challenges Clifford for the starting spot, it will be Veilleux in 2022.
Freshman to watch: Drew Allar
Penn State brought in two freshmen quarterbacks, but most of the hype is surrounding one of the two. Allar enters the program with plenty of excitement around him thanks to his impressive arm talent and build.
The 6-foot-5. 229-pound freshman has the size to stand tall in the pocket and find open receivers. His arm is easily the best on the roster, with an effortless throwing motion that allows him to attempt passes from awkward angles.
Allar is a modern QB in the mold of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. He doesn’t have a traditional throwing motion, but rather flicks the ball from the side or from over the top, driving it downfield with his upper body rather than his legs. That allows him to make throws on the run and to adjust his release point based on where oncoming defenders are coming from.
Despite all of that talent, it would be a shock if Allar plays this year. He needs to continue adding strength and build himself into a college quarterback. With that being said, he should be able to push any quarterback Penn State has if he stays on track, while boasting the talent to be an all-time great if everything breaks right.
This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 10:34 AM.
