ALTOONA, Pa. -- Outside, the weather is cold, icy and miserable, but inside the Lasch Football Complex at Penn State, things are just beginning to heat up as winter workouts have begun.
It wasn't just inside where good things were happening for Penn State, as a $48.3 million plan was announced to renovate the Lasch Football Complex in order to support the training, education, health and safety needs of student-athletes.
Those improvements will help the Nittany Lions not only on the field but off it, as it is sure to aid in recruiting efforts. For now though, the focus is on the product on the indoor practice field, as Penn State looks forget about a 2020 season it finished with a 4-5 record.
The Nittany Lions managed to rattle off four wins in a row to end the season after starting 0-5, which should give everyone n the program hope moving forward. Since the end of the season, however, Penn State has lost three assistant coaches and had a plethora of players enter the transfer portal, while also landing a few transfers.
The storylines are numerous as the Nittany Lions get closer to putting on pads and gearing up for spring football:
• Can Sean Clifford return to his 2019 form?
In 2019, Clifford passed for 2,654 yards and 23 touchdowns in 12 games while also throwing seven interceptions. A first-year starter in 2019, Clifford stayed within himself and played smart football en route to a Cotton Bowl victory and 11-2 record.
That was far from the case early in 2020, as Clifford struggled mightily, with Will Levis starting a game in his place at one point. In the five losses, Clifford threw for 11 touchdowns and 1,070 yards and had eight passes intercepted. In each of the three games he started and wasn't pulled, he threw 30 or more passes, including a whopping 57 against Maryland.
Outside of the season-opener against Indiana, Penn State was behind for a great portion of each of those games, forcing Clifford to use his arm more. Also, at that time, the Nittany Lions' run game was nearly nonexistent.
Once Clifford and the offense settled in, it was night-and-day, in terms of production. Clifford didn't attempt more than 30 passes the rest of the season and Penn State began rattling off wins. It seemed as though comfort had returned to the offense.
Then offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca got fired and was replaced by former Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. Yurcich's offenses have put up big numbers in the Big 12, as well as everywhere he's coached. What should work in Clifford's favor this season is Yurcich's ability to adapt his offense to his players, as he did with Mason Rudolph and James Washington at Oklahoma State.
The Penn State offense isn't short on playmakers -- experienced ones, at that -- with receivers Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington returning, as well as tight ends Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson and running backs Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee.
Responsibility for offensive success won't fall directly on the shoulders of Clifford this year with those playmakers, and especially since Levis has transferred to Kentucky. Expect a more relaxed and capable Clifford this year, as he should return to his 2019 form early.
• Who's going to step up on the offensive line?
With Will Fries and Michal Menet off to the NFL and CJ Thorpe to the transfer portal, there are some big holes to fill along the offensive front. Thorpe ended the season behind Fries on the depth chart, which ultimately led to his departure, but replacing Fries and Menet will be a daunting task.
Fries was one of the more versatile players along the offensive line, starting at right tackle before moving to right guard. His switch to guard helped to pave the way for a competent run game for Penn State down the stretch and helped Clifford to stay on his feet a little longer.
Menet was an anchor at center and a big factor in the success of the offense, as a three-year starter. That level of experience is hard to come by and will assuredly be tough to replace.
When looking for a replacement for Menet, the likely choice would be Juice Scruggs, who looked to be on the path to landing the starting center position before an auto accident set him back. Scruggs returned to the field and, while not quite 100 percent back to where he was before the accident, looked as if he could fill the role admirably when needed.
Having Scruggs at center keeps the line almost entirely intact from 2020, save for the right guard position vacated by Fries and Thorpe. Graduate transfer Eric Wilson could compete for the position, but won't join the team until the summer after his studies at Harvard are complete. Another player who could be in the mix is true freshman Landon Tengwall, who enrolled early.
One thing is for sure, though: The Nittany Lions should be able to get a full spring season with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, something they weren't able to do in 2020. That alone is going to put the offensive line ahead of the game for the coming season.
• How will the loss of safeties coach Tim Banks be felt in the secondary?
While at Penn State Banks, he helped develop safeties such as Troy Apke, Marcus Allen and Nick Scott, all of whom are in the NFL and playing a decent amount. He's also aided the development of Lamont Wade, who has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Nittany Lions return Pro Football Focus First-Team All-American Jaquan Brisker, as well as safety Jonathan Sutherland, who should see his playing time increase with the departure of Wade. That gives Penn State a decent amount of experience on the back end of the defense, which bodes well moving forward.
Whoever head coach James Franklin hires to replace Banks will be in good shape. Banks' impact will be felt the most will be on the recruiting trail, especially in Michigan, his home state. Banks was responsible for the recruitment of four-star safety Jaylen Reed, who will join the Nittany Lions this summer.
Until Franklin hires a replacement, cornerbacks coach Terry Smith is expected to oversee both groups.
• What will the defensive line look like?
It's been quite a winter for the defensive line, as defensive ends Jayson Oweh and Shaka Toney are off to the NFL while defensive tackle Antonio Shelton, now Antonio Valentino, transferred to Florida and defensive tackle Judge Culpepper went to Toledo.
Those departures make defensive tackle PJ Mustipher the lone returning starter for defensive line coach John Scott, Jr.'s second season with Penn State. With that in mind, the Nittany Lions hit the portal hard for defensive linemen, landing defensive end Arnold Ebiketie from Temple and defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo from Duke.
Both \are with the team for winter workouts, which is key to getting them acclimated in the program. Both should be factors this season and be in the rotation early after having impressive careers at their previous schools.
Among those who have been with the Nittany Lions, defensive end Adisa Isaac stands to gain the most with Toney and Oweh heading to the NFL. Isaac played in all nine games in 2020, finishing with 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks in a backup role. As a starter, Isaac can improve on those numbers easily -- and should if he's in the first group.
It would be no surprise if Ebiketie and Isaac are the starters outside, but with Shelton gone, the Nittany Lions need someone to fill the void he left. Shelton was a redshirt senior and, while the extra year of eligibility is beneficial to most, it didn't benefit Shelton at Penn State, which led to his transfer to Florida.
One of the players expected to fill that void, in addition to Tangelo, is Hakeem Beamon, who played in seven games in 2020. He had seven tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Getting that playing time as a redshirt freshman gives Beamon a leg up this spring as he competes for the open defensive tackle position.
Although spring practice is on its way, it's still not known whether there will be a Blue-White Game, or something resembling it, this spring.