ALTOONA, Pa. -- There are few athletes anywhere who will get a better Christmas present Sunday than Trace McSorley, who will make his first career NFL start for the Arizona Cardinals.
Oh, and it'll be against none other than Tom Brady.
How about that for a memorable day?
I'd like to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone, and many thanks to everybody who reads and comments on our Penn State stories here at DKPS.
Here are the 10 things on my Christmas wish list as it pertains to Penn State.
1. Let's hope Santa Claus brings Trace McSorley a great performance and a victory
My favorite Penn State player I've covered is Matt McGloin, because, c'mon, how can anybody not appreciate Moxie?
But if not for McGloin's amazing story of going from zero star recruit to NFL starter -- he started 7 NFL games in his career -- then McSorley would be at the top of my list because of his amazing story.
Nobody wanted him as a quarterback, except for James Franklin, who brought McSorley along with him as a recruit when he went from Vanderbilt to Penn State. Then to see McSorley, the ultimate gamer and leader, turn himself into a standout college player was fantastic.
I remember seeing McSorley and thinking, there's no way this little dude is going to make it through a college season as the starting quarterback. But man, he proved to be tough as nails, always shaking off big hits, getting right back up and performing at an extremely high level.
McSorley helped lead the Nittany Lions to the 2016 Big Ten title and berth in the Rose Bowl, forever cementing himself as a Penn State legend. He was drafted in the sixth round in 2019 and has paid his dues as an NFL backup the past few years.
Trace is still only 27 years old, and he has a chance to remain in the NFL for a long time as a backup. But he has the opportunity of a lifetime Sunday night on national TV, and if he plays well and can find a way to beat Brady and the Buccaneers, then it could open up so many doors in his career.
I'm a reporter, not a Penn State fan, but I think I'm speaking for Penn State fans everywhere who are thrilled to see McSorley get this opportunity.
2. Best of luck to the man who helped make McSorley a star
That would be Joe Moorhead, whom I have long said was the single best hire of Franklin's career. Moorhead's offense combined with the presence of tremendous talent such as Saquon Barkley, Chris Godwin, Mike Gesicki and McSorley, was the perfect marriage at Penn State in 2016.
Moorhead will always be a big part of the turnaround after the sanctions. He's now head coach at Akron, and you know what, he did a pretty nice job this season, all things considered. The Zips, one of the worst programs in the country in recent years, went only 2-10, but they were very competitive against just about everyone in the MAC as the season went along.
JoeMo is a good guy, and a good offensive coach. Things didn't work out for him at Mississippi State, and he had some issues at Oregon. But the Pittsburgh native is now back closer to home at Akron, and it would be great to see him enjoy success.
3. Here's hoping Manny Diaz and Mike Yurcich stick around for a long time
Things clicked very well for the Lions this season because Franklin has two coordinators he can trust, and he let them do their jobs. Franklin is at his best as the CEO and when he lets the coordinators be head coaches of their units, and all of that happened this year.
Diaz has been nothing short of phenomenal as defensive coordinator. He will be a head coach again sometime, but the longer he stays at Penn State, the better off the program will be. He didn't get a head coaching job this cycle but very well could next year, so the Lions need to take full advantage of his services while they have them.
Yurcich had a terrible season in 2021 and was roundly criticized. Then he came back with a much better performance this year, showing his creativity and versatility with schemes, formations and play calls. Give the guy a running game and some talent to work with, and he's capable of putting out a very good product.
It's tough to keep good coordinators, but when you can, it provides a great deal of stability.
4. There needs to be a Chad Powers TV show
This has to happen. It would be a terribly wasted opportunity if Eli and Peyton Manning can't find a way to turn this into a cool 6 or 8-episode limited series detailing Powers' life and football adventures.
Eli Manning went undercover at Penn State as walk-on "Chad Powers" and it's absolute gold. pic.twitter.com/jaEYqBRcMh
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) September 19, 2022
5. The Lions could really use a star wide receiver under their Christmas tree
Not just any wide receiver. A standout wide receiver. A No. 1 guy who can line up against Ohio State or Michigan and put up big numbers.
I wrote extensively about this transfer portal pickle a couple of weeks ago. Check it out here.
The bottom line is, I believe the receiver situation is the biggest issue the Lions must address for next season. The effects of not having a legit No. 1 receiver could be wide ranging, most importantly being that Drew Allar's effectiveness will be limited if he doesn't have options who can spread the field. If that's the case, then all defenses will load up to stop the run, and that's not a formula for success against the Buckeyes, Wolverines and other strong teams.
Penn State will find some receivers in the portal, you can bank on it. The Lions have to. And then we'll all write stories for the next nine months wondering if whoever they get will, you know, be good enough in the Big Ten.
6. Bill O'Brien needs to get back to the NFL, where he's best suited
If you've read my coverage at all the past few years, you know I hold O'Brien in tremendously high regard for how he helped save the Penn State football program.
O'Brien is an NFL guy. He's been at Alabama the past couple of years as offensive coordinator, and it hasn't worked out as well as anyone there would have hoped.
Now, O'Brien's name is being mentioned for the New England Patriots offensive coordinator position, the job he held prior to coming to Penn State in 2012.
It would be great to see O'Brien get that job. I think.
While he would be returning to familiar territory, he won't have Tom Brady there to rely on as the quarterback. And we all know the Patriots just haven't been the Patriots since Brady left.
Regardless, if he can get back to the NFL and succeed as a coordinator once again, some NFL team will come along and offer O'Brien a head coaching job. He was a good NFL head coach with the Texans, it's just that he was a horrendous general manager there, and that's why he was fired.
You gotta think OB learned his lesson with all that and would be much easier to work with as a head coach the next time around -- if he gets the chance.
7. Here's what I want for the Penn State basketball team this season
The Lions are certainly good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. And if they can get in, I could see them being a tough out and perhaps getting to the Sweet 16.
That would be spectacular.
8. Penn State has to keep Micah Shrewsberry around
Shrewsberry is an excellent coach. He's already proven that in his second season with Penn State.
The worry with Shrewsberry is this: He gets the Lions to an NCAA Tournament, then some better program comes along and offers him a ton of money to leave.
That's just the way things work in coaching, and we all know there are many, many, many better jobs in college basketball than Penn State.
Athletic director Pat Kraft was asked last week if the school has the resources necessary to be able to retain Shrewsberry, who's believed to be making $2 million a year, if someone else comes calling.
Kraft's response was awesome.
"Yes," he said, then paused for a couple of seconds to let that sink in.
"Absolutely, my man," Kraft continued. "Yep, absolutely. I'm committed to keeping -- Micah is a great coach. Micah is a really, really, really good coach."
It won't be, however, just about dishing out a ton of money for Shrewsberry, and Kraft acknowledged that. Penn State needs to show the coach that it is committed to doing everything else it takes to win on a consistent basis -- you know, all the things Franklin talks about when he mentions the 365 day a year stuff.
I have serious, serious doubts Penn State will ever be committed on that level to men's basketball.
But hey, that's why all of this is on my Christmas wish list.
9. No food poisoning at the Rose Bowl
Many of you may know the story. A lot of us in the Penn State media got food poisoning the night before the 2008 Rose Bowl against USC, from contaminated water in the hotel media room.
That was brutal. I was throwing up all night and day, even at the stadium.
I just went through my two kids having a 24-hour stomach bug and them throwing up a bunch. Right now, I'm just hoping I can avoid getting that in the coming days, then I'll turn my wish toward a repeat of that awful food poisoning experience from 14 years ago.
10. I wish DK keeps me around here for a long time
This job is awesome. I love it here. And I love the community of readers who comment in a civil manner and create good discussions every day.
When I reached out to DK a year and a half ago about coming on board to cover Penn State, I don't think either of us had any idea that things would work out so well. But he took a chance and gave me a tremendous opportunity, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
Let's keep this thing going for a long time.
