Sean Clifford’s mentality hasn’t changed, despite being named Penn State’s starting quarterback

Since Tommy Stevens left Penn State, Sean Clifford has felt the Nittany Lions offense belongs to him.

The departures of Stevens to Mississippi State and Trace McSorley to the Baltimore Ravens undoubtedly left a big void in the quarterback room. Clifford, a redshirt sophomore, appeared in four games last season and was 5-for-7 passing for 195 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions as the third-stringer. He stepped up in a team meeting after the top two QBs had left and let his teammates know there would not be a drop-off in production from the quarterback spot.

“I had to do something to step up and say something,” Clifford said. “That was one of the turning points for me.”

On Friday, coach James Franklin made it official. Clifford is officially going to be the starting quarterback when the Nittany Lions host Idaho on Saturday.

But nothing about the way he’s gone about preparing for Saturday is different from his first two seasons on campus. He even had a little chuckle when asked if his mentality has changed now that he’s in charge of the offense.

“I had a pretty good feeling that was going to come up,” Clifford said. “I’ve learned from so many great guys and now it’s just another work week. I haven’t changed one thing since I got here.”

“When I was fighting for the third-string spot when I first got here, I was watching the same amount of tape. I was just as hungry.”

Clifford has redshirt freshman Will Levis behind him on the depth chart and pushing

“They know the expectation in the room,” Clifford said. “I don’t think I need to tell them anything they don’t know. I think, overall, our room is very accountable of each other and ourselves.”

Clifford wasn’t just named a starter — he was named a team captain as well.

“That’s definitely the biggest accomplishment at Penn State, maybe my life,” Clifford said. “It’s very humbling to me.”

Franklin has lauded Clifford’s leadership skills all offseason and he mentioned on Tuesday that the respect he’s earned from his teammates was a big reason he was voted a captain.

That, and the game experience he received last season was also the main reason he was given the starting nod over Levis, Franklin said Tuesday. The rationale for that decision was similar to the one used when McSorley beat out Stevens before the 2016 season.

“When it’s close like that, you’re always going to go with the older, more experienced player, and that’s really what Sean is, and has done a great job,” Franklin said.

Everyone in Beaver Stadium on Saturday will find out how much Clifford’s preparation the past two years has paid off. The person seen off the field hasn’t been the same, that he’s made very clear.

But running through that tunnel as the starting quarterback is a whole different animal. He’s done it more than a handful of times over the past two years, but will this Saturday be any different?

“I’ll tell you in a week,” Clifford said with a smile.