Good read in the PPG on Trace (player and coaches review)
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Great stuff from Audrey.
Christian Hackenberg on his heir apparent: “Trace is a really good dude. He’s down to earth, love working with him every day. I’m sure you guys are going to have to poke and prod him, but he can be pretty funny at times, but I think Trace has handled everything really well. He’s very smart when it comes to picking up things in the film room and in our meetings and he’s able to go out and execute and translate it pretty quickly on the field and that’s ultimately what you’re looking for. I have a ton of respect for how he prepares and he comes from a great family and he’s a great person, great guy.”
TE Mike Gesicki on McSorley: “Me and Trace have always had a good relationship, just kind of from coming in with each other, same class all that kind of stuff and he’s been doing a great job. He’s kind of always prepared to be the next guy up. … I think he has a bright future and even young Tommy Stevens. I live with him and I have a good relationship with him as well so it’ll be a good competition and all that stuff next year.”
Gesicki on who McSorley is as a person: “Trace is a great guy. Good guy, always works hard and all that kind of stuff. Always prepares to kind of be the next guy up and all that kind of stuff, he’s a good friend, always hanging out with him, I’m very close with him so he’s very kind of a Penn State guy like what you’d expect.”
WR DaeSean Hamilton on McSorley: “He doesn’t lack confidence at all. He’s smart, he knows all his plays, knows what he’s supposed to be looking at, all his reads and things like that so he obviously the only thing with him is he is a little bit more mobile than Hack will be and things like that so we implement that into our game plan and things like that when he comes in at practice and stuff, but other than that Trace has done a great job stepping in and showing no lack of confidence and no drop off in that aspect.”
What’s the adjustment like as a receiver with a mobile quarterback like that? What’s different about that from your end?
Hamilton: “In those type of plays you never know what will happen. He can extend a play, he can take off running so you might have to turn up field and get a block for him and things like that. With a guy like that you just got to be on your toes and basically just never give up on a play. He can extend a play with his legs and then just getting open for him and he’ll be able to find you.”
What characteristics is new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead looking for in a quarterback?
Moorhead: “The physical traits are obvious, you have the position specific things, such as height and weight and speed. Obviously, you have to have a strong arm, but accuracy is probably more important to me. … We do enough things in the run game that our quarterback is going to have to be athletic and have to make plays with his feet, either by design or if the play breaks down.”
James Franklin on McSorley, following the QBs TaxSlayer Bowl performance: “I’ve told you guys before that in practice, we do two-minute drills at the end of practice a lot. Two offense against the one defense. He's been successful. I think there's a lot of confidence in our locker room. Mr. Godwin can speak on this a little bit more, but I think there's a lot of confidence in what he brings to the table. It was good to see him go out there and have some success, something to build on. Pleased with him.”
LB Jason Cabinda, part of that No. 1 offense that faced McSorley in practice this season in the two-minute drill: “Trace is a guy who is dynamic and he’s very fast. The guy can make plays on his feet and everyone knows the running quarterback is really something that all defenses struggle with from time to time and he’s a guy who can really give guys problems in that aspect.
”He’s a guy who really works hard. He takes a lot of pride in learning off of Hack and really Tommy [Stevens] does too, they both take a lot of pride in learning and reaping everything they can from Hack before he’s gone. That’s huge for them and really Trace in space he’s going to be a problem. I can say he’ll be a problem in space. Guys who can avoid the sack, get out of the pocket and still make throws or run, that’s the kind of player he is.“
Was there an instance where he burned you guys in practice?
Cabinda: “Yeah, there were times where he ran off 50, 60-yard touchdowns. He’d out run safeties. He’s that like 4.5 fast. Everyone is really excited about Trace and what he’s going to be able to do.”
WR Chris Godwin on McSorley’s TaxSlayer Bowl performance: “When Trace came into the huddle, he's the same confident guy that we know throughout all of our practices. He wasn't worried at all. He was confident in himself and we were confident in him as well, that he was going to be able to come in and get the job done. We're confident in Trace and his abilities. I think he showed that [Saturday].”
Center Angelo Mangiro on protecting a guy that likes to use his feet like McSorley, as opposed to a guy like Hackenberg who likes to sit in the pocket: “There’s a little difference in the beginning. Trace likes to slide [laterally] a little bit more than Christian. [Trace] is a little, shorter guy, so he gains passing lanes. Christian can kind of sit there and throw over the top.”
Trace McSorley on Trace McSorley. How can the TaxSlayer game experience help you in the future?
“Having this confidence will be good. It’s the same game I’ve always been playing I mean there’s no difference in the field size or the width or whatever it may be. Its’ the same game and at the end of the day it’s football and that’s what really helped me and that’s what guys kept telling me.”
Are you ready for all of this added attention and did you take note of how Hackenberg handled himself and all that comes with the territory of being the quarterback?
McSorley: “I’m comfortable with it. It’s business as usual and then being able to watch him and how he handled it that taught me a lot. he would come out after wins, after losses, after highs, after lows, and the way he was able to handle himself and be even keeled it was good for me to just kind of see him do that.”
Christian Hackenberg on his heir apparent: “Trace is a really good dude. He’s down to earth, love working with him every day. I’m sure you guys are going to have to poke and prod him, but he can be pretty funny at times, but I think Trace has handled everything really well. He’s very smart when it comes to picking up things in the film room and in our meetings and he’s able to go out and execute and translate it pretty quickly on the field and that’s ultimately what you’re looking for. I have a ton of respect for how he prepares and he comes from a great family and he’s a great person, great guy.”
TE Mike Gesicki on McSorley: “Me and Trace have always had a good relationship, just kind of from coming in with each other, same class all that kind of stuff and he’s been doing a great job. He’s kind of always prepared to be the next guy up. … I think he has a bright future and even young Tommy Stevens. I live with him and I have a good relationship with him as well so it’ll be a good competition and all that stuff next year.”
Gesicki on who McSorley is as a person: “Trace is a great guy. Good guy, always works hard and all that kind of stuff. Always prepares to kind of be the next guy up and all that kind of stuff, he’s a good friend, always hanging out with him, I’m very close with him so he’s very kind of a Penn State guy like what you’d expect.”
WR DaeSean Hamilton on McSorley: “He doesn’t lack confidence at all. He’s smart, he knows all his plays, knows what he’s supposed to be looking at, all his reads and things like that so he obviously the only thing with him is he is a little bit more mobile than Hack will be and things like that so we implement that into our game plan and things like that when he comes in at practice and stuff, but other than that Trace has done a great job stepping in and showing no lack of confidence and no drop off in that aspect.”
What’s the adjustment like as a receiver with a mobile quarterback like that? What’s different about that from your end?
Hamilton: “In those type of plays you never know what will happen. He can extend a play, he can take off running so you might have to turn up field and get a block for him and things like that. With a guy like that you just got to be on your toes and basically just never give up on a play. He can extend a play with his legs and then just getting open for him and he’ll be able to find you.”
What characteristics is new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead looking for in a quarterback?
Moorhead: “The physical traits are obvious, you have the position specific things, such as height and weight and speed. Obviously, you have to have a strong arm, but accuracy is probably more important to me. … We do enough things in the run game that our quarterback is going to have to be athletic and have to make plays with his feet, either by design or if the play breaks down.”
James Franklin on McSorley, following the QBs TaxSlayer Bowl performance: “I’ve told you guys before that in practice, we do two-minute drills at the end of practice a lot. Two offense against the one defense. He's been successful. I think there's a lot of confidence in our locker room. Mr. Godwin can speak on this a little bit more, but I think there's a lot of confidence in what he brings to the table. It was good to see him go out there and have some success, something to build on. Pleased with him.”
LB Jason Cabinda, part of that No. 1 offense that faced McSorley in practice this season in the two-minute drill: “Trace is a guy who is dynamic and he’s very fast. The guy can make plays on his feet and everyone knows the running quarterback is really something that all defenses struggle with from time to time and he’s a guy who can really give guys problems in that aspect.
”He’s a guy who really works hard. He takes a lot of pride in learning off of Hack and really Tommy [Stevens] does too, they both take a lot of pride in learning and reaping everything they can from Hack before he’s gone. That’s huge for them and really Trace in space he’s going to be a problem. I can say he’ll be a problem in space. Guys who can avoid the sack, get out of the pocket and still make throws or run, that’s the kind of player he is.“
Was there an instance where he burned you guys in practice?
Cabinda: “Yeah, there were times where he ran off 50, 60-yard touchdowns. He’d out run safeties. He’s that like 4.5 fast. Everyone is really excited about Trace and what he’s going to be able to do.”
WR Chris Godwin on McSorley’s TaxSlayer Bowl performance: “When Trace came into the huddle, he's the same confident guy that we know throughout all of our practices. He wasn't worried at all. He was confident in himself and we were confident in him as well, that he was going to be able to come in and get the job done. We're confident in Trace and his abilities. I think he showed that [Saturday].”
Center Angelo Mangiro on protecting a guy that likes to use his feet like McSorley, as opposed to a guy like Hackenberg who likes to sit in the pocket: “There’s a little difference in the beginning. Trace likes to slide [laterally] a little bit more than Christian. [Trace] is a little, shorter guy, so he gains passing lanes. Christian can kind of sit there and throw over the top.”
Trace McSorley on Trace McSorley. How can the TaxSlayer game experience help you in the future?
“Having this confidence will be good. It’s the same game I’ve always been playing I mean there’s no difference in the field size or the width or whatever it may be. Its’ the same game and at the end of the day it’s football and that’s what really helped me and that’s what guys kept telling me.”
Are you ready for all of this added attention and did you take note of how Hackenberg handled himself and all that comes with the territory of being the quarterback?
McSorley: “I’m comfortable with it. It’s business as usual and then being able to watch him and how he handled it that taught me a lot. he would come out after wins, after losses, after highs, after lows, and the way he was able to handle himself and be even keeled it was good for me to just kind of see him do that.”
