Clifford, and his track record of mediocrity, coming back to Penn State

ALTOONA, Pa. -- You know how you'll be watching a college game, see a player and think to yourself, "He's still in college? Seems like he's been there forever!"

Cue Sean Clifford. And in 2022, it indeed will feel like he has been at Penn State forever.

For better or worse, til graduation and COVID career extension do they part, the Clifford and Penn State marriage will last another season.

The quarterback announced Friday afternoon that he will return to the Nittany Lions for another season -- his sixth with the program. He'll turn 24 years old in July and, barring something unforeseen, he'll be the starter for the fourth consecutive season.

"Penn State is more than football to me," Clifford wrote. "It is family. My teammates, Coach Franklin, the staff and the community have shaped me into the man I am today and I am forever grateful. I am beyond thankful for the support system I have back home, as my mom, dad and brother have stood by me every step of the way.

"With that being said, I will be returning to Penn State to play one more season in the Blue & White. I could not pass up the chance to be with this family and play the game I love again. The opportunity to play alongside my brother, Liam, and the rest of my brothers on the team made this decision easy."

It might have been easy for Clifford to decide what he wanted to do, but none of this should be considered easy for Penn State.

I wrote extensively here two weeks ago why I thought Penn State and Clifford needed to go their separate ways.

It boils down to two things:

1. Clifford is an average college quarterback, and Penn State can find a better one in the transfer portal, and ...

2. With Clifford back, the Lions will have NO CHANCE of even having the opportunity to find a better quarterback in the portal, because nobody would want to come here without a guarantee to play. There would be no such guarantee with a guy who's already started for three years.

Reaction to the Clifford news has been exactly what I figured when I first saw he's returning.

Ehhhhhh.

This Larry David meme from "Curb You Enthusiasm" has been my favorite post.

Here's some good news and bad news with the Clifford announcement:

Good news: He will give Penn State a chance to win games next season. Clifford usually does well enough to have the Lions competing with the likes of Ohio State and Michigan. Penn State trailed the Buckeyes by three points in the fourth quarter this season, and led Michigan late until a long TD pass won it for the Wolverines. So, Clifford's experience overall and big-game experience can be valuable.

Bad news: Clifford epitomizes what Penn State football has become right now: That being close is good enough. The school decided to give James Franklin a 10-year contract despite him going 11-10 over the past two seasons. Clifford will be guaranteed to be the starter for a fourth year despite going 21-12 in his carer. I mean, if 21-12 is enough to warrant a guy being given a starting job essentially for life at a school, doesn't it say something about that school's desire to truly try and be the best?

Bad news: Does ANYONE think Ohio State would ever just keep rolling out the same QB over and over who has a career record of 21-12?

Good news: Clifford is a hard worker and team leader. He'll likely be the first four-year captain in program history and will be able to serve as a good mentor to incoming freshman Drew Allar, the No. 1 QB recruit in the country. Clifford loves Penn State, and he will gladly do whatever he needs to do to help Allar's development. If the Lions had to go out and bring in someone from the transfer portal, there's a good chance that guy would be much more selfish and looking out for his own interests, as opposed to trying to help out a freshman.

Bad news: Clifford is what he is. As I said, he's an average quarterback. He's ranked 67th in the nation in passing efficiency this season. He's 75th in yards per pass attempt (7.35) and 74th in passing yards per completion (11.79). Those numbers are just not good, although they are tied into Penn State's overall offensive struggles. Here are Clifford's other national rankings:

• Completion percentage: 59th (62.4)
• Completions per game: 27th (20.58)
• Passing TDs: 38th (20)
• Passing yards: 30th (2912)
• Passing yards per game: 40th (242.7)
• Points responsible for: 56th (134)
• Points responsible for per game: 62nd (11.2)
• Total offense: 46th (253.6)

Good news: If Penn State can fix its offensive line problems so it can run the ball, Clifford has shown to be effective.

Bad news: The offensive line problems have been around a long time, so there's really no reason to think they'll magically be fixed next year. That's not a Clifford problem, per se, but more a suggestion that we're going to see a whole lot more of what we saw this season from him and the offense. Oh, but without phenomenal receiver Jahan Dotson.

Bad news: Penn State's schedule is brutal to start next season: at Purdue, vs. Ohio, at Auburn, vs. Central Michigan, vs. Ohio State, at Michigan. That's gonne be tough for any quarterback.

Good news: Clifford will give Penn State a good to compete in and perhaps win some of those games, given his experience.

Bad news: Had Penn State found a better quarterback in the transfer portal -- and there will be numerous better QBs in there -- it perhaps would have given the Lions an even better chance to win those games.

Good news: It will be cool to see Clifford throw passes to his younger brother, Liam. That will be a nice story next year.

Good news: Clifford probably can make a lot of money next season through NIL deals. He's not really an NFL prospect, so he may never make any money in the pros. Staying in college gives him a chance to keep playing as long as possible and to make some money off it.

Good news: Maybe, just maybe Clifford can turn into Pitt's Kenny Pickett next year -- a veteran who explodes with big numbers and leads his team to great success.

Bad news: Does anyone really think Clifford has it in him to be that guy that Pickett was this year? We've seen Clifford for three years as a starter, we know what he is and what he isn't.

But here's what he is: Penn State's starting quarterback.

Still.

PODCAST: The Clifford news means 2022 will be a bridge year for Penn State with regards to prized QB prospect Drew Allar. Cory Giger and Jarrod Prugar discuss that and more below.