Penn State Football: Is Trace McSorley holding Nittany Lions back?

By Matty Breisch | May 9, 2017

Apr 22, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Tommy Stevens (2) scrambles out of the pocket during the third quarter of the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium. The Blue team won 26-0. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2017 season could very well be James Franklin’s best chance of winning a nation Championship as the head coach of the Nittany Lions.

I know this is a bold statement, but hear me out.

Penn State only lost four starters to the NFL this offseason, and are one of the most veteran teams in all of college football. And to top it off they have a roster built to score points.

Joe Moorhead’s offense has a veteran tight end in Mike Gesicki, a stable of stud wide receivers, and Saquon Barkley, a generational talent whose combination of size, speed and strength will make him a sure first round pick in the forthcoming NFL Draft. And leading the squad is Trace McSorley, a three-star recruit out of who was primarily recruited as a safety coming out of college.

Now I’m in no way saying Trace McSorley is a bad player, but he is not a star at the position, by any means. Moorhead asks McSorley to play a role similar to the one Russell Wilson is asked to play in Seattle. While McSorley is far from the player Wilson is, both are tasked with running their respective offenses as more or less game managers.

When you wipe away all of the long runs, acrobatic throws and elusive backfield maneuvering both players are essentially tasked with matriculating the ball down the field and turning the ball over.

The major difference between Wilson and McSorley however is that Russell is a star. Russell Wilson exude confidence every time he steps on the field and is the kind of leader that breeds championships. While McSorley should be commended for his efforts as Penn State’s quarterback over the last few seasons he is hardly a game-changer.

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At this year’s Blue-White Game McSorley looked lost while playing against Penn State’s second-team defense. His deep ball was suspect the entire afternoon, even leading to an interception.

While his afternoon was far from encouraging the same cannot be said for sophomore quarterback Tommy Stevens.

In his first extended action at quarterback since last year’s Blue-White Game the 6-4 Indiana native absolutely dazzled while leading Penn State’s second team offense. For roughly a half of an extremely abbreviated game Tommy scored three touchdowns, threw for 216 yards and showed a killer instinct that Penn State quarterbacks seldom possess.

While his performance was predominantly against reserve players his fire and attitude was absolutely contagious and flooded Beaver Stadium with a sense of pride and excitement.

Stevens may never be a first-round draft pick or a Super Bowl winning quarterback, but his performance flashed glimpses of a star quality that Penn State’s quarterback position currently lacks. Starting a player like Tommy who is arguably both more athletic and has a stronger arm than McSorley could help to alleviate the extra attention Barkley will undoubtedly receive from opposing defenses and ultimately give the team a better chance to win then maintaining the status quo with Trace.

In Penn State’s nail-biting loss to USC in last year’s Rose Bowl the team was in position to win before McSorley threw a last-minute interception that ultimately sealed their fate. While Penn State is surely a better team this year than last, with a more veteran defense and and an explosive offense the quarterback position remains largely unchanged, which could be a problem.

Trace McSorley has proven himself to be an extremely competent quarterback for Penn State, and if remains the quarterback under center for the Lions next season the team will surely still be in consideration to win their division, and secure a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff.

Trace for the most part makes good decisions and correctly read where to place the ball, but his lack of elite arm talent could very well prove to be a hindrance to the team if they have to win a high scoring shootout against a complete team like Alabama.

Regardless of how the forthcoming season turns out, the 2018 Penn State Nittany Lions will be a much different team. Not only will the team potentially lose star players like Barkley, Mike Gesicki, DaeSean Hamilton, Jason Cabinda, Marcus Allen and others, but they may also lose Moorhead, who flirted with potential head coaching opportunities last offseason before committing to the 2017 Nittany Lions in hopes of getting a Power Five head coaching position next offseason.

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Truly this could be Penn State’s best chance to win another national championship for sometime, but can McSorley really be trusted to bring it back to Happy Valley?

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