UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- If Penn State's offense could start 12 players, it would do so with backup quarterback Tommy Stevens getting the start at his newly created position on the depth chart.
Penn State's Fiesta Bowl depth chart lists Stevens as the starter -- and the only player -- at a new position called Lion. Penn State used Stevens all over the place on offense this season as he caught, threw and rushed for a total of nine touchdowns. So why did James Franklin and staff decide now to list Stevens on the depth chart in this utility role? The answer speaks more about their thoughts on the talent they have waiting in the wings behind Trace McSorley than anything else.
"We want to treat him like a starter, cause that's really what he is for us," Franklin said Friday. "You know, talking to our defensive coaches, talking to our offensive coaches, we see his role expanding. Especially now that we're in a situation where we're creating more and more depth at the quarterback position."
Penn State expanded Stevens' role this season, all except for Penn State's two losses where Stevens didn't see the field. That raised some eyebrows, but the Tommy Stevens package as it's known to the Beaver Stadium faithful was in all of the game plans except for one this season, Franklin said. But what more could Stevens do for this team? Apparently quite a bit, and Franklin clarified when I asked about him not joking when it comes to using the quarterback in all three phases.
"He has brought up in the past about playing special teams. He's brought up in the past about playing defense. He's brought up in the past about coaching. He's brought up in the past about everything," Franklin said. "He just wants to have as big of a role as he possibly can, and the reality is, it makes sense. It makes sense. I thought it made sense to list him on here as a starter because that's how we view him and that's how his teammates view him, and we expect his role to continue to grow, and literally, when I say offense, defense and special teams, I'm serious about that. There's really nothing off the table in terms of his opportunity to have a bigger role on our team."
It shouldn't have come as a surprise then inside the cozy confines of Holuba Hall on Friday evening that Stevens was part of Penn State's hands team. As newly appointed offensive coordinator Phil Galiano put the onside kick team out there, Stevens was part of it. Now, what else he could do on special teams remains a bit of a mystery.
"I do have some thoughts and some ideas," Galiano said when asked about using Stevens in the third phase. "Not that I want to share it just yet and let Washington prepare for it, but he's a phenomenal athlete and he's a phenomenal kid. He came to me and said, 'Coach, I just want to play. What can I do?' There were some discussions, some thoughts, but I'm super excited if I can get to use him."
Stevens was recruited by some schools as a safety and while he hasn't played back there since then, McSorley laughed when asked if Stevens would be up for a role on defense. Realistically, that would come should the team be in a bind and speaks to the quarterback's competitiveness more than anything else.
"Other than high school film highlights, I haven't seen anything," McSorley said of Stevens on the other side of the ball. "But, he's the type of competitor who if we said, 'Tommy, we really need you to play defense,' he would. He's such a good player on the offensive side of the ball and he's a tremendous quarterback and I think that's what he's built for, but his mentality is to do whatever he can for this team."
While the new position comes along with new coordinator Ricky Rahne, Stevens' future beyond this game will be the focal point of the offseason. He'll wrap up his undergraduate degree in the spring and while having many opportunities to play here must help make it more appealing, whether or not it's ultimately enough to be an X-factor behind McSorley remains to be seen.