Penn State Football: 3 players with most to prove in 2020

If the Nittany Lions are to be true contenders for a Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoff, quarterback Sean Clifford will need to be at his best.

Clifford was not terrible in his first season as a starter. In fact he was very good for most of the season. His 59.2 completion percentage, 2,654 yards and 23 touchdowns outpaced Trace McSorley from the previous season. The problem was he seemed to feast against the easier defenses and have mediocre games against the better ones.

Clifford threw for at least three touchdowns and over 250 yards in victories over Buffalo, Maryland and Purdue, including nearly hitting the 400 yard mark against the Terps. Against Iowa and Ohio State, he was held under 200 yards combined and only one score. Even when he threw for 340 yards at Minnesota, the Gophers picked him off three times. He only threw seven interceptions all season.

Penn State now has a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Kirk Ciarrocca, who  spent the last seven seasons with PJ Fleck at Western Michigan and Minnesota with the same positions. The hire has been praised from several pundits as a great move by James Franklin to improve the Nittany Lions.

It is now up to Ciarrocca to improve Clifford. He has the big arm but needs to improve his accuracy. Surprisingly, Clifford has some wheels for a bigger guy and perhaps Ciarrocca will add more quarterback runs to his playbook.

For Penn State to achieve their goals, they must have one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Clifford must take the next step and prove he is one of those top quarterbacks, not only against the bad teams on the schedule but also the good ones.