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STATE COLLEGE — There was no formal announcement. Not to the team. Not to reporters. No real fanfare about Penn State naming a starting quarterback.
That’s the way James Franklin said he prefers to handle it. And that suits Trace McSorley just fine.
The understated sophomore learned Tuesday morning that he would be leading the Nittany Lions offense after sitting down with Franklin and offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. Franklin made the decision public on Wednesday evening at the end of practice.
McSorley got the news on his birthday, as it turned out, and got to tell his parents, who were still in town at the time. But beyond a low-key celebration among his closest family members, it was back to work.
“My dad smiled. My mom gave me a hug,” McSorley said. “And that was about it.”
Though it took most of training camp to nail down the job, McSorley said the charge made by redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens ultimately made him better.
McSorley was long considered the favorite to take over for Christian Hackenberg, as he did for most of the TaxSlayer Bowl in January after Penn State’s all-time leading passer was knocked out with an injury.
But Franklin wanted to make sure to give a longer look to Stevens, who has a similar skillset to run Moorhead’s offense but happens to be four inches taller. Earlier during training camp, Franklin said Stevens had noticeably narrowed the gap that had existed after spring ball.
It wasn’t enough to make up for McSorley’s extra year with the program.
“The biggest thing is he’s been the backup quarterback for two years,” Franklin said. “He has game experience from the bowl game. There’s value in that. There really is. You’re able to see it already — you’re not projecting as much.
“The statistics (in camp between the two) were pretty even, to be honest with you. It’s how (McSorley) went about meetings. It’s how he went about practice. It wasn’t one thing. … But it legitimately was difficult decision because Tommy did such a good job.”
Unspoken by Franklin is the importance of having two quarterbacks ready to play if needed. Moorhead’s offense will put the quarterback on the run at times, exposing him to more hits. Listed at 6-foot-even, McSorley is projected to be the shortest starting signal-caller in the Big Ten.
But Franklin was adamant that this competition would not carry over into the regular season. The job belongs to McSorley.
“No, you always like to have one quarterback,” Franklin said. “We don’t want him peeking over his shoulder.”
As for Stevens, Franklin said he was understandably disappointed but came in the next day to meet with him and talk about his role as the backup.
The decision itself, Franklin said, was made by Moorhead.
Well, sort of.
“What I had told the quarterbacks and the staff, like all things, this was going to be Joe’s decision,” Franklin said. “Unless I felt like it was the wrong decision.”
Regardless, the timing gives McSorley roughly two weeks of practices with all of the first-team reps to prepare for the Sept. 3 opener against Kent State.
“It was kind of a weight off my shoulders,” McSorley said. “It’s been a long process since the end of January. It was definitely a relief.”
McGovern’s green light
Franklin and his staff designate true freshmen as green, yellow or red to indicate whether they’ll play or head toward a redshirt.
As it stands now, three rookies have already gotten the green light — heralded tailback recruit Miles Sanders, likely starting punter Blake Gillikin and Lake-Lehman’s Connor McGovern.
Franklin prefers to redshirt his freshman offensive linemen, but McGovern had a leg up by graduating early and enrolling back in January.
“(He) gained an advantage there,” Franklin said. “McGovern came in a powerful, strong guy. He’s already over 300 pounds. … I think (the freshman linemen) have done a nice job.”
A green designation doesn’t guarantee that he will play — last August Franklin had planned to use receiver Juwan Johnson, but that fell to pieces along with the Nittany Lions’ entire offensive scheme in an opening loss to Temple.
But for now McGovern figures to work his way into some playing time up front. He worked as the second-team right guard at the end of practice on Wednesday behind fifth-year senior Derek Dowrey.
Franklin said the first-team line — for now — would be Brendan Mahon, Ryan Bates, Brian Gaia, Dowrey and Andrew Nelson, from left to right.
High praise
McGovern isn’t the only Back Mountain alum who could make an impact this fall. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Ryan Monk of Dallas has been a favorite of Franklin’s since he joined the team as a walk-on last year.
Monk’s background and work ethic reminds Franklin of another former walk-on — 2015 national sack leader Carl Nassib. Franklin was wary of mentioning Nassib because of unfair expectations that might cause, but his fondness for the former Mountaineers standout was strong.
“I love Ryan Monk. Ryan Monk’s come in here and worked his tail off,” Franklin said. “He’s really maximizing this opportunity. And he’s a guy that we’re having discussions about who could factor in at the nose position for us. I don’t think the coaches would be concerned putting him in the game right now. So that’s a credit to him.
“I use him as an example to our players all the time, about a guy who’s gotten an opportunity and has really run with it.”
