Football OPINION: After loss to Ohio State, it's time for Penn State's youth movement

[Dylan Callaghan-Croley]

Happy Valley Insider - OPINION: It's time for Penn State's youth movement

After Penn State's latest loss to Ohio State, it's time for James Franklin and crew to look towards the future.

pennstate.rivals.com

I don't write many opinion pieces and it's something I would like to do more of. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my rambling here about the quarterback situation and more.

 

[crm114psu]

Happy Valley Insider - OPINION: It's time for Penn State's youth movement

After Penn State's latest loss to Ohio State, it's time for James Franklin and crew to look towards the future.

pennstate.rivals.com

I don't write many opinion pieces and it's something I would like to do more of. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my rambling here about the quarterback situation and more.

Very good article Dylan. You should consider writing these as a regular feature.

 

[royboy]

Happy Valley Insider - OPINION: It's time for Penn State's youth movement

After Penn State's latest loss to Ohio State, it's time for James Franklin and crew to look towards the future.

pennstate.rivals.com

I don't write many opinion pieces and it's something I would like to do more of. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my rambling here about the quarterback situation and more.

Liked your piece, and strongly agree with your point about the importance of using the remaining regular season games for additional time and development for the young talent.

**nit pick -- make sure you re-read and double check to avoid mistakes like

While Sean Clifford can still receive a considerable amount of playing time going forward, there is no reason for Drew Allar to get his fair share of drives in each of the Nittany Lions' remaining games.

No reason for Drew Allar NOT to get his fair share

 

[Gitzit]

I think there is a misconception when Franklin has said that "Clifford has earned the right to play". Maybe I am wrong but I don't think it has anything to do with Clifford's loyalty to the program, but he is just better than anyone else right now. They have said they records every pass, every decision their QB's make in practice, and Clifford must be the best. Why would he not play the best player and take a chance on losing just for Allar to get experience.

 

[Jerry]

Happy Valley Insider - OPINION: It's time for Penn State's youth movement

After Penn State's latest loss to Ohio State, it's time for James Franklin and crew to look towards the future.

pennstate.rivals.com

I don't write many opinion pieces and it's something I would like to do more of. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my rambling here about the quarterback situation and more.

Good piece. Nicely balanced.

I think Priority One going forward this season has to be winning all four games. 10-2 with a nice bowl, maybe even NY6, will set the stage nicely for next year.

Priority Two is to continue to work the young kids into the mix and get Drew Allar some meaningful playing time.

Fortunately, I don't see a conflict between Priority One and Priority Two. In fact, I think there's a real possibility that we'll see Allar start...maybe even this Saturday...and then split time with Sean.

 

[Dylan Callaghan-Croley]

Liked your piece, and strongly agree with your point about the importance of using the remaining regular season games for additional time and development for the young talent.

**nit pick -- make sure you re-read and double check to avoid mistakes like

While Sean Clifford can still receive a considerable amount of playing time going forward, there is no reason for Drew Allar to get his fair share of drives in each of the Nittany Lions' remaining games.

No reason for Drew Allar NOT to get his fair share

I actually reread everything but added that portion in right before publishing thanks for catching.

 

[knickslions]

Good piece. Nicely balanced.

I think Priority One going forward this season has to be winning all four games. 10-2 with a nice bowl, maybe even NY6, will set the stage nicely for next year.

Priority Two is to continue to work the young kids into the mix and get Drew Allar some meaningful playing time.

Fortunately, I don't see a conflict between Priority One and Priority Two. In fact, I think there's a real possibility that we'll see Allar start...maybe even this Saturday...and then split time with Sean.

If Clifford is healthy he will start every game for rest of season. However the schedule is not difficult and Allar will get plenty of reps.

 

[WPTLION]

One topic that you missed(unless I just missed it) is the Portal. How do you handle the "youth" while thinking about who might leave? Lets be honest in the way CFB has changed in the last few years if you don't make the playoff nothing else matters(except the extra practice time). Hopefully that changes with Playoff expansion. But once you're out it's time to plan for next year. You can really no longer be loyal to a 5th year player "IF" there is someone as good in the wings. But that might also give another school a window into how good the underclassman is and another school could pursue them. I'm sure there are numerous ways to handle the "new" normal, the question is what is the best way to move forward.

 

[Jerry]

If Clifford is healthy he will start every game for rest of season. However the schedule is not difficult and Allar will get plenty of reps.

I think that's a likely scenario, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Drew will make a start at some point...maybe even this week.

There've been some interesting hints. Instead of ruling out a change as has been the case previously, Franklin says he wouldn't make a decision without consulting the other coaches on the staff. He also made a point of saying that Sean requested a meeting with him. I'm wondering if Sean himself might not make an unselfish case for splitting time with Drew.

Franklin also said his number one priority remains to win the games, which was not surprising but still good to hear. He also said that whoever has the best week of practice is likely to get the start this Saturday...again opening the door. At minimum, however, it seems clear that whether Drew starts or not, we're going to see a lot more of him behind center the rest of the year.

 

[Online Persona]

Good piece. Nicely balanced.

I think Priority One going forward this season has to be winning all four games. 10-2 with a nice bowl, maybe even NY6, will set the stage nicely for next year.

Priority Two is to continue to work the young kids into the mix and get Drew Allar some meaningful playing time.

Fortunately, I don't see a conflict between Priority One and Priority Two. In fact, I think there's a real possibility that we'll see Allar start...maybe even this Saturday...and then split time with Sean.

Liked all of your thoughts right up to Allar starting this Saturday. I don't think he does and if he does, does it send the message to the team that remaining games are merely scrimmages?

 

[Online Persona]

One topic that you missed(unless I just missed it) is the Portal. How do you handle the "youth" while thinking about who might leave? Lets be honest in the way CFB has changed in the last few years if you don't make the playoff nothing else matters(except the extra practice time). Hopefully that changes with Playoff expansion. But once you're out it's time to plan for next year. You can really no longer be loyal to a 5th year player "IF" there is someone as good in the wings. But that might also give another school a window into how good the underclassman is and another school could pursue them. I'm sure there are numerous ways to handle the "new" normal, the question is what is the best way to move forward.

I don't subscribe to the "if you don't make the playoffs nothing else matters". So only 4 teams out of like 132 have games that matter? That would be pretty sad for college football if true.

I think everything matters, the last 4 games, which bowl game we get, winning it, developing younger players throughout for next season, retaining as much of our young talent as possible, scouting the portal for a few good fit gems like we have at DE the last 2 years, OL depth, etc. All of it matters if you want to build a playoff capable team. And we can't get there by sending the message that the rest of the season doesn't matter because we didn't make the playoff this year.

 

[Jerry]

I don't subscribe to the "if you don't make the playoffs nothing else matters". So only 4 teams matter out of like 132 have games that matter? That would be pretty sad for college football if true.

I think everything matters, the last 4 games, which bowl game we get, winning it, developing younger players throughout for next season, retaining as much of our young talent as possible, scouting the portal for a few good fit gems like we have at DE the last 2 years, OL depth, etc. All of it matters if you want to build a playoff capable team. And we can't get there by sending the message that the rest of the season doesn't matter because we didn't make the playoff this year.

Totally agree.

I've gotten over this latest 4th-quarter collapse against Ohio State a lot more quickly than the two in 2017-2018.

10-2 with a nice bowl matters a lot, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the team bounces back this Saturday.

I tend to agree that Allar won't start but wouldn't rule it out. I don't think it would send any negative message at all to the team. If Drew were to struggle, Franklin would go back to Sean in a heartbeat.

Worst case, we can spot Indiana 7-10 points and still win the game. No matter how you cut it, there will be no excuse -- none -- for losing to Indiana...and I don't see that happening no matter who starts.

 

[Parkerdam555]

If Clifford is healthy he will start every game for rest of season. However the schedule is not difficult and Allar will get plenty of reps.

False.

 

[RickinDayton]

Liked all of your thoughts right up to Allar starting this Saturday. I don't think he does and if he does, does it send the message to the team that remaining games are merely scrimmages?

I'm with you. He doesn't need to start Allar, but if the OL is missing Olu, Tengwell and Wallace I would not put Drew out there.

 

[lazydave841]

I think Priority One going forward this season has to be winning all four games.

Bingo. Winning matters more than anything. Losing the 2 we lost stinks, but losing a 3rd will be worse.

Youth movement sounds good, but we've split a lot of reps this year.

2 true freshman RBs, 1 TF LB are essentially starters now. DDS has played in every game. Evans has got some meaningful snaps at WR. Youth is playing. We just have not handed the reins over to Allar...yet.

 

[bvillebaron]

I think that's a likely scenario, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Drew will make a start at some point...maybe even this week.

There've been some interesting hints. Instead of ruling out a change as has been the case previously, Franklin says he wouldn't make a decision without consulting the other coaches on the staff. He also made a point of saying that Sean requested a meeting with him. I'm wondering if Sean himself might not make an unselfish case for splitting time with Drew.

Franklin also said his number one priority remains to win the games, which was not surprising but still good to hear. He also said that whoever has the best week of practice is likely to get the start this Saturday...again opening the door. At minimum, however, it seems clear that whether Drew starts or not, we're going to see a lot more of him behind center the rest of the year.

Perfectly said.

 

[bvillebaron]

I'm with you. He doesn't need to start Allar, but if the OL is missing Olu, Tengwell and Wallace I would not put Drew out there.

Well that is a consideration.

 

[SR108]

Happy Valley Insider - OPINION: It's time for Penn State's youth movement

After Penn State's latest loss to Ohio State, it's time for James Franklin and crew to look towards the future.

pennstate.rivals.com

I don't write many opinion pieces and it's something I would like to do more of. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my rambling here about the quarterback situation and more.

I like the idea of playing younger players when you have that luxury, however I believe it is more important to win the remaining four games and win a competitive bowl game for this program to move forward. Hopefully they can do both, but I see Md and MSU as both competitive games. Recruiting is still an issue. 11-2 is a good sell.

 

[LandoComando]

If Clifford is healthy he will start every game for rest of season. However the schedule is not difficult and Allar will get plenty of reps.

I don't disagree but the real question is SHOULD he

 

[The Spin Meister]

I like the idea of playing younger players when you have that luxury, however I believe it is more important to win the remaining four games and win a competitive bowl game for this program to move forward. Hopefully they can do both, but I see Md and MSU as both competitive games. Recruiting is still an issue. 11-2 is a good sell.

Yeppers. Winning the next four is a huge improvement over the last two years and we need that momentum. And it helps recruiting to be 10-2 vs 9-3 or 8-4. Helps the team gain confidence for next year. Keeps an electric crowd in the stadium, which helps recruiting. Ending up in the Top Ten is great publicity....which helps recruiting. Making a NY6 Bowl gets us lot of publicity and lots of money....which helps recruiting. Nothing helps recruiting and momentum like winning.

And it’s more than being loyal to Clifford. It’s also about the entire senior class. These guys have worked hard for years. Would be unfair to all of them......plus any juniors that will leave early"....to not allow them to show the scouts their best. And many of them will continue to support PSU long after they move on including helping in recruiting. Bail on them now and you could be doing a lot of damage.


Now if we lose one of the next three, time to move on and play Allar in any games remaining.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Rutgers, not Indiana is the time for the youth movement. Let's get through Maryland who has been equally impressive or unimpressive as we have been before going with the youth movement. We have the chance to win 10 games. Clifford has been a difference maker throughout the season due to our inability to protect the QB and run the ball. If Allar goes in as a full time starter, 8-4 is our ceiling and 7 and 5 is very likely.

 

[PSUEngineer89]

I think the coach is close to morally obligated to start the best players.

Very tough to sit an older player who is better than a younger one just because you have moved on from this seasons goals.

Not saying the youngsters shouldn't play some, BUT if Dani Sutton is not currently outplaying a senior DE, then he Shouldn’t start.

 

[Dylan Callaghan-Croley]

I'm with you. He doesn't need to start Allar, but if the OL is missing Olu, Tengwell and Wallace I would not put Drew out there.

That would be something to heavily consider, yes.

 

[LandoComando]

Rutgers, not Indiana is the time for the youth movement. Let's get through Maryland who has been equally impressive or unimpressive as we have been before going with the youth movement. We have the chance to win 10 games. Clifford has been a difference maker throughout the season due to our inability to protect the QB and run the ball. If Allar goes in as a full time starter, 8-4 is our ceiling and 7 and 5 is very likely.

I don't think that's true and if it then Allar isn't the future

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

Happy Valley Insider - OPINION: It's time for Penn State's youth movement

After Penn State's latest loss to Ohio State, it's time for James Franklin and crew to look towards the future.

pennstate.rivals.com

I don't write many opinion pieces and it's something I would like to do more of. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my rambling here about the quarterback situation and more.

I would prefer, we be told something we don't know.

Honestly, calling for youth to play when they already are for the most part is pretentious.

The Cliff Note version of this wou

 

[royboy]

Rutgers, not Indiana is the time for the youth movement. Let's get through Maryland who has been equally impressive or unimpressive as we have been before going with the youth movement. We have the chance to win 10 games. Clifford has been a difference maker throughout the season due to our inability to protect the QB and run the ball. If Allar goes in as a full time starter, 8-4 is our ceiling and 7 and 5 is very likely.

Wow. Do you actually believe such garbage or just going for a reaction?

 

[GregInPitt]

I actually reread everything but added that portion in right before publishing thanks for catching.

How about "EVERY reason for Allar to get his fair share of playing time."

Confusing to write and confusing to read the double negative approach.

And although it's always nice to see players break records I believe many PSU fans don't feel the need to play Clifford to help him accumulate yardage. Although a great contributor to the PSU program the last 6 years Clifford has won games but not much of team significance compared to some of the QB's whose records he has chewed up by sticking around so long. Yep, those decisions are not up to the fans. But Franklin has said it's about getting "elite", and that can't be reached without getting to the playoff, winning B10 division and overall championships,.... and the only way to expediate that is to prepare the young players for the 2023 season.

Other players to give some PT to:
- Drew Shelton - I believe he has played some games (1 or 2?) and the staff may want to save a game befor the 4 limit for the bowl game in case Fashanu sits that game out, but the staff should pick a gave and play Shelton at least 2/3 or the snaps in that game.
- Also on the OLine, Dawkins needs to get more snaps if he is the team's future Center. And Traore as well. And with OT being a yearly depth and talent issue, how about getting McNeal some playing time as well.
- The RB's have played and will continue to to so.
- Carter is already starting, but maybe he also gets some snaps at Mike to prepare for the 2 talented 2023 LB's and the ability to play them where they can play best along with Carter and hopefully Jacobs in the event that King and Elsdon are not in the top 3 LB's on the 2023 roster.

 

[Parkerdam555]

Caveat: if Clifford is "better" than Allar right now, then no, Allar is not the future that he was thought to be.

 

[lazydave841]

Caveat: if Clifford is "better" than Allar right now, then no, Allar is not the future that he was thought to be.

Yes, because every eventual great QB is game ready during their true freshman year...

 

[TN Lion]

I think there is a misconception when Franklin has said that "Clifford has earned the right to play". Maybe I am wrong but I don't think it has anything to do with Clifford's loyalty to the program, but he is just better than anyone else right now. They have said they records every pass, every decision their QB's make in practice, and Clifford must be the best. Why would he not play the best player and take a chance on losing just for Allar to get experience.

Well no kidding that a sixth year quarterback is better than a true freshman. How the heck is Allar supposed to get better without playing time? Clifford has a lot more snaps both in practice and in games,. Clifford should know the playbook better than Allar. Clifford should know how to see the field and read defenses better than Allar. (maybe not) Giving Allar the starts for these last games is the best way to prepare him for next year. For many fans the bowl games have lost their luster. Why watch a bowl game that means nothing and when the best players will opt out of playing. No one cares who won any of the bowl games last year ant it will be that way next year looking back on this one,

Clifford at best may get a look from the pros but he won't last a month,

 

[Parkerdam555]

Yes, because every eventual great QB is game ready during their true freshman year...

C.J. Stroud was.

 

[lazydave841]

C.J. Stroud was.

Incorrect. Redshirt freshman year for Stroud. He didn't throw a pass his true freshman year behind Fields.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

A lot of words to say the team playing the most freshmen and RS freshman of any other should play younger players going forward.


The Cliff notes version would have been better imho. Allar should get more game experience over the next 4 games.

Ok...
How about
Vielluex
Pribula

How about mixing in more youngsters along aside the upperclassmen. Any possibility this would help them all? Just curious.

Given Allar has ascended to starter for 2023...should PSU get the potential backups some game reps over this 4 game stretch if they can?

 

[Gitzit]

I listened to the Steve Jones show today on radio and he commented on the QB situation. I'm not going to go into everything he said, but it was really interesting. He talked about the competition between Daryll Clark, and Pat Devlin and how that worked out.
He said he gets to watch something like 4,000 passes in practice, and usually agrees with the coaches decision except one. Before he said which QB competition that was, I already knew what he was going to say.
Steve is really interesting to listen too, I don't know if everything said on radio makes to podcast though.

 

[LMTLION]

Caveat: if Clifford is "better" than Allar right now, then no, Allar is not the future that he was thought to be.

Please go troll somewhere else.

 

[royboy]

Please go troll somewhere else.

Trying to think of a good reason not to put @Parkerdam555 on ignore.

He's been here since July under this screen name; did he post previously under some other "nom de plume"?

 

[bdgan]

I listened to the Steve Jones show today on radio and he commented on the QB situation. I'm not going to go into everything he said, but it was really interesting. He talked about the competition between Daryll Clark, and Pat Devlin and how that worked out.
He said he gets to watch something like 4,000 passes in practice, and usually agrees with the coaches decision except one. Before he said which QB competition that was, I already knew what he was going to say.
Steve is really interesting to listen too, I don't know if everything said on radio makes to podcast though.

I don't think there's any doubt that Allar has a stronger and more accurate arm. The question is which QB can best deal with the pressure.

 

[PSUEngineer89]

Happy Valley Insider - OPINION: It's time for Penn State's youth movement

After Penn State's latest loss to Ohio State, it's time for James Franklin and crew to look towards the future.

pennstate.rivals.com

I don't write many opinion pieces and it's something I would like to do more of. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my rambling here about the quarterback situation and more.

Good topic and good piece.

What is best for the program and what is best for the individual?

 

[Parkerdam555]

I don't think there's any doubt that Allar has a stronger and more accurate arm. The question is which QB can best deal with the pressure.

What if...we ran the ball more, with Drew?