Penn State 2021 Recruiting Spotlight: Liam Clifford

Penn State commit Liam Clifford, brother of quarterback Sean Clifford, won an Ohio state title at Cincinnati St. Xavier high.

This is one breathtaking high school football box score: 723 total yards, 556 in the air and 300 receiving yards by one player, Penn State commit Liam Clifford.

Clifford, a member of Penn State's 2021 recruiting class, set a school record with 300 yards receiving on 12 catches in Cincinnati St. Xavier's 62-37 win over St. Ignatius in October. Clifford caught touchdown passes of 80 and 39 yards in the win, and St. Xavier went on to claim the OHSAA Division I title. Clifford also was voted Ohio's Division I offensive player of the year.

Clifford, of course, is the brother of Penn State starting quarterback Sean Clifford, and the two spent the spring shutdown sharpening their skills together at home. Sean Clifford said during the spring that the two made the most of their time at home.

"That's benefitted the both of us tremendously, to have each other to throw to," Sean Clifford said.

What kind of player is Penn State getting in Liam Clifford? According to his SI All-American evaluation, the 6-1 receiver is "very fast," has "great hands" and is an "impressive overall athlete."

Here's more from SI All-American.

Liam Clifford

Position: Wide receiver

Vitals: 6-1, 195 pounds

Hometown: Cincinnati

High School: St. Xavier

Frame: Lean and muscular. Average upper-body width. Relatively thick, rock-solid thighs and calves. Developed trunk. Room for more mass, but already chiseled.

Athleticism: Impressive overall athlete. Doesn’t quite live up to self-reported 4.4 40-time, but very fast. Extremely fluid; wastes little motion on move. Exceptional balance through contract. Great hands.

Instincts: Playmaker. Natural vision in open field; home-run threat with a seam. Not especially shifty side to side, but glides through cuts. Tough to bring down. Routinely fools defensive backs with route-running nuance. Effortlessly tracks ball downfield.

Polish: High-level route-runner. Runs full route tree, stacking and stemming like college veteran. Varies release off LOS. Willing, effective blocker in run game.

Bottom Line: New to wide receiver in 2018, Clifford’s long history playing quarterback serves him extremely well at his new position. An advanced route-runner with exceptional hands, he’ll see the field early for Penn State if prep athleticism translates to Big 10. Potential multi-year starter.

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