Sunday Column: Known Quantities Should Give Penn State More Solid Footing — In Short Term, At Least

Penn State added a new defensive coordinator and an old quarterback this week.

The coming season will be a big one for James Franklin, both in terms of proving that the long-term extension he signed last month was a wise investment for a university that is in the midst of a leadership change and showing that the 10 losses in the last 14 months will not be the new norm. There is a long way to go to the starting line of the 2022 season — hell, the 2021 season isn’t even over yet — but it will have no shortage of challenges. Franklin must replace one of the best wide receivers in program history, several transfers-turned-defensive studs, and a few other key starters. And the college football coaching carousel isn’t done spinning yet, meaning it’s a possibility Brent Pry won’t be the only staff departure this winter.

In short, lots of change is coming — some of it needed, some of it unwelcome. Viewed through that lens, the return of Sean Clifford for a sixth year and the addition of Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator make a lot of sense for this coach and the current state of his program.

Clifford has been a Rorschach test for Penn State fans, particularly during the last two years. Some look at him and can’t see past the accuracy issues, the skittishness in the pocket, and are happy to lay the blame for a bevy of team offensive issues at his feet. Others see a tough, hard-working kid who made plays with his arm and his feet, played through numerous injuries and made improvement this season in an offense that didn’t have too much else going for it.

In a vacuum, the return of one of the most experienced and, yes, accomplished passers in program history would be a hands-down win. But Penn State’s quarterback room will have a much different look next season, with blue-chip freshmen Drew Allar and Beau Pribula arriving and sophomore Christian Veilleux perhaps eager to build on an inspiring 2021 debut. Starting Clifford might be the best thing for Penn State in August and September, and maybe even November and January, but will those reps come at the expense of launching a potentially more promising quarterbacking career?

Maybe. It’s more likely, though, that none of those young quarterbacks will be ready to roll by next fall, and that Clifford will allow Penn State to buy time — time for Parker Washington and a group of young receivers to get up to speed without Jahan Dotson, for Nick Singleton to get his feet wet, and for Franklin, Mike Yurcich and Phil Trautwein to figure out just what the hell to do to get the running game into second gear. It will also allow those quarterbacks to develop in practice, to learn from a 24-year-old who’s run more offenses than most pro QBs. If one of them is that much better than Clifford, or he is injured again — this is still football — he will get his chance. If not, he’ll be that much better prepared for 2023.

Clifford under center will make for a smoother transition for Penn State’s offense into 2022. The insertion of Diaz will make for probably as smooth a transition for the defense as could be hoped. The 47-year-old logged 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator before taking over as Miami’s head coach in 2019, and his aggressive 4-3 scheme looks a lot like Pry’s, particularly after a season in which Pry was more aggressive than he’d been in previous years. And because he has that experience, it’s likely Franklin will trust him, as he did Pry, with acting as a de facto head coach for that unit, leaving Franklin to continue to focus more on the offense (and maybe some of those fake field-goal plays).

Would Penn State have been wrong to listen to the urgings of a devastatingly handsome columnist  and take a chance on a younger coordinator with perhaps more recruiting upside, like, oh, I don’t know, Texas A&M assistant and former letterman Elijah Robinson? Not at all. Diaz, though, is no slouch as a recruiter — Miami had top-20 classes in 2020 and 2021 — and he has shown an ability to successfully navigate the transfer portal, an increasingly important skill for any college coach. Plus, the last time Franklin hired a former head coach as a coordinator, Joe Moorhead went out and put Big Ten defenses on the Tilt-a-Whirl for two seasons. It might not be fair to place those kinds of expectations on Diaz, but if he hadn’t been snatched up by Franklin this week, he wouldn’t have waited long to find another big-school coordinator job, if not another head coaching gig.

Penn State’s first six games next fall include road trips to Purdue, Auburn, and Michigan, with a home game against Ohio State thrown in for good measure. Even if the Nittany Lions’ terrific Class of 2022 signs intact and Franklin works some Ebiketie-like magic in the transfer portal, this roster is not currently constructed to handle that gauntlet without getting at least a little bloodied. A veteran quarterback and a veteran coach guiding the defense, though, will make those six games and those that follow a lot easier than they would have been otherwise.

Were they — finger quotes — safe moves, though? Will Clifford impede the progress of a younger quarterback? Should Penn State have tried to hire the next up-and-coming DC? Time will tell. But, given the way the past two years have gone, you can’t blame Franklin for making them.