Sean Clifford (was) Named Most Accurate At 2016 Elite 11 Competition

[Judge Smails]

The idea that Clifford was some lightly recruited unknown is false. He was an Elite 11 QB.

https://victorybellrings.com/2016/06/05/sean-clifford-named-accurate-elite-11-competition/

1. 
   Bleacher Report Analysis
   
   Sean Clifford's Elite 11 journey began with regional MVP honors in Columbus, Ohio, where he was steady and poised as rain fell. That showing carried over into finals action, where he emerged as a no-doubt invitee for The Opening.
   
   Clifford, a tough competitor who doesn't back down under defensive pressure, is sturdy in the pocket and makes big-time throws by patiently surveying options, even as opponents approach. His anticipation sets him apart from many peers, as he executes play calls with decisiveness and swiftly identifies matchup advantages.
   
   "He was very impressive in the pocket, and his drops were fluid, smooth," Elite 11 coach Matt James said after Clifford's regional effort. "He can drive the ball down the field, and it spins out of his hands really nice. His game film showed some of his athleticism, but it was nice to see him get out of the pocket and make a few throws that impressed."
   
   His downfield arm strength is still progressing, and as that attribute develops, it will further augment an above-average range of accuracy. If Clifford gets hot in seven-on-seven competition, he's a dark-horse candidate to emerge in the MVP conversation

 

[ralphster]

I'll take "most accurate" for my QB over "best runner/athlete" any day. Not that Clifford is a bad runner. List the most accomplished QBs you can think of quickly off the top of your head. I bet they are/were better at hitting receivers than running the ball.

 

[81b&w]

Can't say I've seen him throw a bad pass yet in a b&w uniform. This kid is gonna be good

 

[MacNit07]

Can't say I've seen him throw a bad pass yet in a b&w uniform. This kid is gonna be good

All 9 of them!

 

[dailybuck777]

The idea that Clifford was some lightly recruited unknown is false. He was an Elite 11 QB.

https://victorybellrings.com/2016/06/05/sean-clifford-named-accurate-elite-11-competition/

View embedded media

1. 
   Bleacher Report Analysis
   
   Sean Clifford's Elite 11 journey began with regional MVP honors in Columbus, Ohio, where he was steady and poised as rain fell. That showing carried over into finals action, where he emerged as a no-doubt invitee for The Opening.
   
   Clifford, a tough competitor who doesn't back down under defensive pressure, is sturdy in the pocket and makes big-time throws by patiently surveying options, even as opponents approach. His anticipation sets him apart from many peers, as he executes play calls with decisiveness and swiftly identifies matchup advantages.
   
   "He was very impressive in the pocket, and his drops were fluid, smooth," Elite 11 coach Matt James said after Clifford's regional effort. "He can drive the ball down the field, and it spins out of his hands really nice. His game film showed some of his athleticism, but it was nice to see him get out of the pocket and make a few throws that impressed."
   
   His downfield arm strength is still progressing, and as that attribute develops, it will further augment an above-average range of accuracy. If Clifford gets hot in seven-on-seven competition, he's a dark-horse candidate to emerge in the MVP conversation

I saw Youtube video of him. He looked really good. His high school, St. Xavier in Cincinnati, has really turned out some good players. Clifford, 5* LB, Justin Hilliard, 5* Offensive Lineman, Paris Johnson. Also, Luke Kuechly.

 

[81b&w]

All 9 of them!

Beats the hell out of 5 of 9

 

[MacNit07]

Beats the hell out of 5 of 9

So true!

 

[Richard the LIONhearted]

The idea that Clifford was some lightly recruited unknown is false. He was an Elite 11 QB.

https://victorybellrings.com/2016/06/05/sean-clifford-named-accurate-elite-11-competition/

View embedded media

1. 
   Bleacher Report Analysis
   
   Sean Clifford's Elite 11 journey began with regional MVP honors in Columbus, Ohio, where he was steady and poised as rain fell. That showing carried over into finals action, where he emerged as a no-doubt invitee for The Opening.
   
   Clifford, a tough competitor who doesn't back down under defensive pressure, is sturdy in the pocket and makes big-time throws by patiently surveying options, even as opponents approach. His anticipation sets him apart from many peers, as he executes play calls with decisiveness and swiftly identifies matchup advantages.
   
   "He was very impressive in the pocket, and his drops were fluid, smooth," Elite 11 coach Matt James said after Clifford's regional effort. "He can drive the ball down the field, and it spins out of his hands really nice. His game film showed some of his athleticism, but it was nice to see him get out of the pocket and make a few throws that impressed."
   
   His downfield arm strength is still progressing, and as that attribute develops, it will further augment an above-average range of accuracy. If Clifford gets hot in seven-on-seven competition, he's a dark-horse candidate to emerge in the MVP conversation

Accuracy is the most important quality for a college QB to have - it far outweighs “having a big arm” or “a cannon for an arm.” Precision is the rare quality for a QB to possess.

 

[Obliviax]

We are in good shape at QB as long as health isn't an issue. We lost depth

 

[MJG-90]

The idea that Clifford was some lightly recruited unknown is false. He was an Elite 11 QB.

This idea comes from him committing to PSU the summer before his junior year of high school. He shut down his recruitment. Never waivered from his commitment. And, maybe I missed it if he did, but I don't believe he ever mentioned any new offers on Twitter.

 

[hereforthebeer]

The kid has been dynamite every time he has been on the field so far. I'm told they've known since spring practice last year that he was going to be a multi-year starter and a good one. It was just a matter of whether he beat out Stevens this year or waited until next year. With all of Stevens' injuries and lack of availability, I'm happy as a fan to just settle into the Clifford era. He's ready. Watch and enjoy the reads, anticipation, and accuracy. We are in for a treat.

 

[Judge Smails]

This idea comes from him committing to PSU the summer before his junior year of high school. He shut down his recruitment. Never waivered from his commitment. And, maybe I missed it if he did, but I don't believe he ever mentioned any new offers on Twitter.

Composite #196 overall.

If Stevens was confident he could beat out Clifford, he wouldn’t have left.

 

[tboyer]

Agree accuracy is the No. 1 thing, and I'm not sure Stevens was consistent enough as a thrower.

But mobility is critically important as well. Defensive schemes in college football have gotten so good at pressuring the backfield, those traditional pocket quarterbacks can really struggle if they're not protected.

Arguably Clifford is quicker and more mobile than the prototypical Tom Brady type pocket quarterback. How well he moves (and he has clearly worked on that part of his game) is going to be one of the keys to success this fall.

Overall I'm excited. I wish nothing but success for Stevens -- he deserves to play somewhere and get his NFL shot. But PSU has recruited really well at QB and it will be great to see what Clifford (and Levis and the redshirt freshmen) can do.

Success at QB is really a numbers game. You can only know so much about these guys until they get on the field for a few games and you see how they respond to adversity and pressure. Chances are good that PSU has someone on the roster who can be successful.

And everything we've read about Clifford and seen -- it's all good. No red flags, and a lot of positives in terms of leadership and character.

 

[Richard the LIONhearted]

OK, I will say it, here is who Sean reminds me of:

https://daveyobrienaward.org/todd-blackledge/

 

[psuno1]

OK, I will say it, here is who Sean reminds me of:

https://daveyobrienaward.org/todd-blackledge/

Hope Clifford has the same time of results on the field as Blackledge, could be a fun three years.

 

[Delco Lion]

OK, I will say it, here is who Sean reminds me of:

https://daveyobrienaward.org/todd-blackledge/

Based on Clifford's high school films, I think he looks more mobile and faster than Blackledge.

 

[Judge Smails]

 

[Marylovesthelions]

I am very excited. Clifford has shown the type of moxie that made Trace a record holder. He has a very strong will to win and never give up. I bet Hack would exchange some of his arm strength to have the ability to know where to through and be able to accurately hit a closely guarded receiver.

 

[bdgan]

I'll take "most accurate" for my QB over "best runner/athlete" any day. Not that Clifford is a bad runner. List the most accomplished QBs you can think of quickly off the top of your head. I bet they are/were better at hitting receivers than running the ball.

I'm not so sure. QBs like MRob & JT Barret excelled with rheir athleticism. You might even put Mcsorley in that category. I'm not minimizing accuracy. To me the question is if he has the "IT" factor, especially considering the fact that we're replacing 3 starting OL.

 

[Obliviax]

Some more context on SC:

Clifford was a three-year starter and the first two-time captain under longtime head coach Steve Specht. Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly didn’t achieve that recognition at St. Xavier. Neither did former Boston College standout Alex Albright.

“Sean was different. Sean had a presence that commanded respect from his teammates. ... Sean was a born leader,” Specht told the CDT in January. “His ability to adapt to situations, his ability to deal with adversity, his ability to stay even-keeled through the good times and the bad, other kids see that. Other players see that.”

It helped, too, that Clifford was usually the best player on the field. The 6-foot-2 signal-caller finished fourth on the all-time St. Xavier passing charts (4,004 yards). He also broke the school record for rushing yards (1,110) and rushing touchdowns (20) for a quarterback — something to keep in mind after Franklin complimented Clifford’s growth as a dual-threat option last week.

Outside of guiding St. Xavier to three consecutive Greater Catholic League South titles and winning the Ohio state title in 2016, Clifford impressed on the recruiting scene, too. The four-star prospect was a 2016 Elite 11 finalist and was named the competition’s most accurate passer. For reference, former first-round picks Jared Goff and Josh Rosen were the Elite 11’s most accurate passers in 2012 and 2015, respectively.​

 

[Mudge1026]

Some more context on SC:

Clifford was a three-year starter and the first two-time captain under longtime head coach Steve Specht. Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly didn’t achieve that recognition at St. Xavier. Neither did former Boston College standout Alex Albright.

“Sean was different. Sean had a presence that commanded respect from his teammates. ... Sean was a born leader,” Specht told the CDT in January. “His ability to adapt to situations, his ability to deal with adversity, his ability to stay even-keeled through the good times and the bad, other kids see that. Other players see that.”

It helped, too, that Clifford was usually the best player on the field. The 6-foot-2 signal-caller finished fourth on the all-time St. Xavier passing charts (4,004 yards). He also broke the school record for rushing yards (1,110) and rushing touchdowns (20) for a quarterback — something to keep in mind after Franklin complimented Clifford’s growth as a dual-threat option last week.

Outside of guiding St. Xavier to three consecutive Greater Catholic League South titles and winning the Ohio state title in 2016, Clifford impressed on the recruiting scene, too. The four-star prospect was a 2016 Elite 11 finalist and was named the competition’s most accurate passer. For reference, former first-round picks Jared Goff and Josh Rosen were the Elite 11’s most accurate passers in 2012 and 2015, respectively.​

te
Conventional wisdom is Clifford’s a three year starter but I’m willing to bet he’s good enough that we’ll be lucky to have him for two. That’s heady praise for a first year starter however this kid seems to check off all the boxes. Remember that Dwayne Haskins was a R-So, too, and he only lasted one. I know I’m getting ahead of myself but that’s how excited I am about him.

 

[Ranger Dan]

I think that we have to remember the the percent of called pass, called run, and RPO should vary depending on who is in at QB. I have my money on Clifford, and he’s athletic enough to keep teams honest with a safe QB run and RPO, but I would expect a lot more true passing plays with him as opposed to Trace. If it ends up being Levi’s, then who knows. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if one of the true dual threat QBs got some playing time behind Clifford (or whomever starts)

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

I would think that one of the true frosh qb’s will not finish his career at State. And that’s a good thing for the program.

 

[mgkpsu]

No disrespect to the OP, but that tweet is kind of silly. None of those three guys have done anything to date, but Fromm, Ehlinger, and Tua were at the same camp. I bet whoever picked those award winners would love a mulligan!

 

[LionJim]

No disrespect to the OP, but that tweet is kind of silly. None of those three guys have done anything to date, but Fromm, Ehlinger, and Tua were at the same camp. I bet whoever picked those award winners would love a mulligan!

Why? “Most accurate” is probably the least subjective of the designations they were choosing for awards. SMH.

 

[LafayetteBear]

Clifford looked good in the relatively few reps he received. I am very optimistic concerning his prospects for success. Stevens was a loyal player while biding his time waiting for Trace to move on, so I was hoping he would get a shot and prove himself up to the task. I'm assuming that he was told it would likely be Clifford, not him. Why else would Stevens have moved on?

 

[Judge Smails]

I think Stevens foot injury is not a straightforward recovery. Remember all the problems Embiid had with the same type of injury? It took Embiid two surgeries as well, and two full years to recover. Not something you can rush. Really unfortunate for Tommy as I really like the guy. He was super loyal to Penn State, was always a good soldier. Never bitched, never had bad body language, super supportive of Trace. You just can't gift him a starting job if he can't back it up on the practice field.

 

[SLion]

Honestly, not expecting much change in philosophy from Trace to Sean. Watching his HS highlights, he ran a very similar style offense..shotgun snaps with RPO. Looks like he had absolute command. He will run it alot. Best to Tommy but let's be realistic, we might have be some growing pains this year but we have big BT games along with Auburn and VT forthcoming. I would rather have a multi year QB starter at this point. Tommy had not played a ton of QB , even with 5th year status so this switch might be best for program. Additionally, it is not all on Sean. Slade hits the hole fast and Cain brings monster strength. We have Hamler's individual game breaking abilities on edge. Playmakers abound so let's use them. X factor, as always, is the OL. They have hold their blocks and give some time. Exciting times ahead

 

[mgkpsu]

Honestly, not expecting much change in philosophy from Trace to Sean. Watching his HS highlights, he ran a very similar style offense..shotgun snaps with RPO. Looks like he had absolute command. He will run it alot. Best to Tommy but let's be realistic, we might have be some growing pains this year but we have big BT games along with Auburn and VT forthcoming. I would rather have a multi year QB starter at this point. Tommy had not played a ton of QB , even with 5th year status so this switch might be best for program. Additionally, it is not all on Sean. Slade hits the hole fast and Cain brings monster strength. We have Hamler's individual game breaking abilities on edge. Playmakers abound so let's use them. X factor, as always, is the OL. They have hold their blocks and give some time. Exciting times ahead

The sentence in bold is all that I want Franklin and his propagandists to admit publicly. I think promises, or at least very strong overtures, were made in Spring 2018 in order to get Tommy to stay, and then Franklin changed his mind after the fact. I think Tommy's recovery was slower than anticipated (did someone screw up the first surgery), I think the OL underclassmen leaving presented a problem for this season, and I think Sean performed sufficiently in practice. I expect Sean to struggle mightily, at least in the Big Ten, and I think Franklin does as well, so he would rather get that over with this season, when the ceiling might have only been 10 wins anyway. Now I think it's going to be more like 8-9, and hopefully his decision now will pay off in 2020 or 2021.

 

[PS4814]

The sentence in bold is all that I want Franklin and his propagandists to admit publicly.

 

[81b&w]

The sentence in bold is all that I want Franklin and his propagandists to admit publicly. I think promises, or at least very strong overtures, were made in Spring 2018 in order to get Tommy to stay, and then Franklin changed his mind after the fact. I think Tommy's recovery was slower than anticipated (did someone screw up the first surgery), I think the OL underclassmen leaving presented a problem for this season, and I think Sean performed sufficiently in practice. I expect Sean to struggle mightily, at least in the Big Ten, and I think Franklin does as well, so he would rather get that over with this season, when the ceiling might have only been 10 wins anyway. Now I think it's going to be more like 8-9, and hopefully his decision now will pay off in 2020 or 2021.

Why do you think this? Have you seen his highlights? Have you seen him throw a bad pass?

 

[grad83psu]

The sentence in bold is all that I want Franklin and his propagandists to admit publicly. I think promises, or at least very strong overtures, were made in Spring 2018 in order to get Tommy to stay, and then Franklin changed his mind after the fact. I think Tommy's recovery was slower than anticipated (did someone screw up the first surgery), I think the OL underclassmen leaving presented a problem for this season, and I think Sean performed sufficiently in practice. I expect Sean to struggle mightily, at least in the Big Ten, and I think Franklin does as well, so he would rather get that over with this season, when the ceiling might have only been 10 wins anyway. Now I think it's going to be more like 8-9, and hopefully his decision now will pay off in 2020 or 2021.

Wishing and hoping for something is much different than "expecting it", tool!!! Why does this site continue to allow all of these pretend PSU "fans" to srew their crap?

 

[mgkpsu]

Why do you think this? Have you seen his highlights? Have you seen him throw a bad pass?

Has he played with an OL missing 3 major contributors? And Mile Sanders is gone, so whatever youngster plays will have to pick up the proper reads. His out-of-conference garbage time highlight reel is not really relevant to me, since it was late in games against garbage teams, and people grasping on to that are setting themselves up for disappointment. McSorley struggled (see Pitt) as a first year starter, so it's not that controversial of a statement to make. Sorry if people's butts get hurt, but not really!

 

[MJG-90]

McSorley struggled (see Pitt) as a first year starter,

McSorley set a ton of PSU passing records as a first year starter. His two fumbles cost us the Pitt game, not anything he did as a passer. People like to rewrite history for some reason.

 

[LafayetteBear]

Hamler could be one hell of a weapon if the Lions have a QB with the accuracy to hit him in stride on “go” routes, crossing routes, etc. I believe that is something Clifford brings to the table.

 

[mgkpsu]

McSorley set a ton of PSU passing records as a first year starter. His two fumbles cost us the Pitt game, not anything he did as a passer. People like to rewrite history for some reason.

Fumbles and controlling the game flow are also parts of being a QB- you don't get to just focus on the passing. And I don't see a Barkley on this team. Why are you people so bent out of shape by someone taking a "Wait and see" attitude towards this situation? If this happened at Ohio State or Michigan, you same clowns would be on here talking about how their whole season was already down the toilet in April, so try to set aside your emotions and be logical, although I know that's asking alot.

 

[djr4rebs]

If this happened at Ohio State or Michigan, you same clowns would be on here talking about how their whole season was already down the toilet in April, so try to set aside your emotions and be logical, although I know that's asking alot.

Michigan is being propped up into making the playoff with half of their defense turning pro. OSU is still a favorite with 4-fer-13 Fields just because.

Us, on the other hand...

 

[MJG-90]

Fumbles and controlling the game flow are also parts of being a QB- you don't get to just focus on the passing. And I don't see a Barkley on this team. Why are you people so bent out of shape by someone taking a "Wait and see" attitude towards this situation?

I'm all for taking a wait and see approach. I'm just calling you out when you said McSorley struggled as a first year starter. If he struggled so mightily, how was he able to set so many single season QB and offensive records? I think he struggled more last season than he did his first season.

 

[SLion]

McSorley set a ton of PSU passing records as a first year starter. His two fumbles cost us the Pitt game, not anything he did as a passer. People like to rewrite history for some reason.

And here I am thinking for years that this was the reason we lost:

 

[MJG-90]

And here I am thinking for years that this was the reason we lost:

That was another reason. But #9 lost two fumbles — one at about the 12 and the other around the 30 — that each led to easy Pitt TDs.

Another reason we lost was the kickoff coverage gave up a long return (to the 10 I believe) which I think led to Pitt’s last TD.

Lots of reasons we lost. None were Trace struggling to play QB (other than the lost fumbles).