Penn State Football: Biggest disappointments from 2021 season

2. Quarterback Sean Clifford

Sean Clifford had an up and down 2020 season and for the first few games of the 2021 season, it appeared he had put 2020 behind him. In the first five games, he threw 11 touchdowns to only three interceptions. Against Auburn, he completed nearly 88 percent of his passes and in two other games, he completed over 70 percent.

Against Iowa Clifford’s season took a turn and so did the fortunes of the whole team. He went down with an injury and just never seemed to be the same the rest of the season. Clifford appeared to revert back to his old form where he would get happy feet in the pocket, throwing inaccurate balls and making poor decisions.

While Clifford showed some good moments this season, he was too hot and cold. His overall body of work is not good enough for a guy who has been in the program for five years and the starting quarterback for three of those seasons.

With the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the Covid season, Clifford has decided to return for his sixth season. The response from Nittany Nation has been tepid at best. Many fans were ready for Clifford to move on and let highly-touted five-star quarterback Drew Allar take over. Others believe Allar needs to learn early and it is best to have a veteran like Clifford provide stability and guidance.

Either way, Clifford will be back next season. Can he improve in his final season and return to his 2019 form? Or will it be more of the same and either Christian Veilleux or Drew Allar will find themselves the starting quarterback before the end of 2022? Time will tell.