Sean Clifford's Next Legacy at Penn State: A Thriving Quarterback Room

'I could not have asked for a better mentor,' Drew Allar said of the Lions' record-setting quarterback, whose impact continues.

Two days before the Rose Bowl, Drew Allar spent 30 minutes deflecting the most-asked pregame question: Are you ready to be Penn State's starting quarterback next season? Allar answered every time with the consistency of a passing drill: The Rose Bowl had been a lifelong dream, he was thrilled potentially to play in such an historic game and starter Sean Clifford deserved a big finish. Despite every attempt, Allar never strayed from the moment. It was something Clifford had taught him.

"He was always there for me and Beau [Pribula] and CV [former Penn State quarterback Christian Veilleux," Allar said. "Sean was a great mentor to all of us in the room."

Clifford, now fittingly with the Green Bay Packers (more on that in a bit), gave Penn State more last season than 11 wins, a Rose Bowl victory and perhaps his best career performance against Utah. He also big-brothered the future of Penn State's quarterback room, notably Allar, the Lions' likely 2023 starter. Though they often chided Clifford, then 24, as "Old Man," Allar and Pribula said they would not have been as successful as true freshmen without him. They also feel more prepared and more capable for this season having spent a year in the same quarterback room with Clifford.

"He's had six years in the program, and Drew and I have barely had one," Pribula said at the same Rose Bowl media event ahead of the game. "Everything he's been through this season, everything he's been through here with the COVID season, he has shared it all with us. If I ever have a question, he's able to answer it."

Now, Allar and Pribula have to take control of the offense themselves — Allar as the presumptive starter and Pribula as the quarterback who could find a situational role in coordinator Mike Yurcich's scheme. They admit to still learning about everything Clifford knew last season. Few quarterbacks in the country were better at recognizing defenses and situations, and reacting to them, than Clifford. After all, Clifford probably took more than 2,000 snaps at Penn State. What could he not have seen?

Which is why both Allar and Pribula said they spent this offseason training their "general football IQ," as Allar called it: identifying formations, directing protections, challenging themselves to watch as much film as Clifford did. That's an aspect of Clifford's game many Penn State fans took for granted. And it's an aspect Allar and Pribula still are tuning.

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During the preseason, one online betting outlet listed Allar among its Heisman Trophy candidates, setting his odds at 25/1 though he had yet to start a college game. Clifford subtly influenced such projections. Allar, a 5-star recruit and 247Sports' No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, had the luxury of playing behind and alongside a sixth-year senior. Penn State coach James Franklin noted that college rarity by drawing parallels between the Clifford-Allar situation and his one season coaching in the NFL. It's an interesting comparison.

In 2005, Franklin was the Green Bay Packers' receivers coach when the franchise drafted quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He spent three seasons behind Brett Favre before taking over as starter in 2008. Franklin said he watched as Rodgers drafted behind Favre and then was ready to become the No. 1.

"But that kind of impacted me," Franklin said. "You see a lot of quarterbacks that maybe get thrown into the fire before they're ready, and I think this was an ideal situation for both Sean from a leadership standpoint and all of our young quarterbacks."

Allar agreed. One thing he learned from Clifford was to stay in the moment, a lesson he put to use at Rose Bowl media day. Clifford also urged Allar to remain even-keeled and neutralize self-doubt. "We're all here for a reason," Clifford would tell the young quarterbacks.

"I've seen Sean for a long time and what he's gone through," Allar said. "I followed him when I was in high school [both are from Ohio], and I've know who Sean is since he's been here. Learning from him was super important to me. I could not have asked for a better mentor."

Penn State quarterbacks Drew Allar, left, and Beau Pribula throw during warmups before the 2023 Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium :: Dan Rainville/USA Today Sports

Now, Allar and Pribula are on their own. With Clifford in Green Bay (a pick Franklin loved) and Veilleux at Pitt, the Lions are starting over in terms of quarterback experience. Allar got a decent amount of work for a true freshman backup, throwing 60 passes in 10 games with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Pribula's next live pass in a game will be his first in college. The No. 3 quarterback is true freshman Jaxon Smolik, whom Franklin called a "surprise" during the early part of training camp. Yurcich said that Clifford's impact continues to filter through the group.

"What’s impressed me about the group is that they are businesslike but yet they don’t get caught up in too much of the consternation," Yurcich said. "We have fun in that room. It’s a joy being around those guys."

And it's still competitive. At the Rose Bowl, Pribula was asked whether he could be the starting quarterback at Penn State. "Yes," he responded confidently. He also knows how a competitive relationship with Allar will benefit both quarterbacks. They didn't really know each other well before enrolling in January of 2022 but quickly became friends. Clifford had a lot to do with that as well.

"People might think there might be an unhealthy relationship, but there’s never been the case," Pribula said. "Sean really set the tone. He said, 'We're going to be really competitive but we're also going to be great friends,' and I think that's really what we've done."

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