https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/Article/QB-Tommy-Stevens-talks-injury-Sean-Clifford-Penn-State-spring-practice-130861342/
QB Stevens eager to move past injuries, earn starting job
ByTYLER DONOHUE 9 hours ago
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —Penn State has yet to officially identify a replacement for record-setting three-year starting quarterback
Trace McSorley but longtime heir apparent
Tommy Stevens remains the perceived leader to eventually lock down that role.
Coming off a rough 2018 that saw him miss significant time on the field due to undisclosed injuries and undergo postseason surgery, the fifth-year senior is following a recovery schedule he hopes will ultimately lead to long-awaited No. 1 duties.
“Being able to be full-go is the main goal but I can’t just jump right into that," Stevens said Wednesday evening after a Penn State spring practice session. "(I’m) just continuing to do what they ask me to do from the training side of it, following all the steps from (Penn State's medical staff) and my doctor back home, and doing everything they think is necessary.”
This strategy resulted in Stevens entering spring camp "limited", according to Nittany Lions coach
James Franklin, and he's not operating at "full-go" with 10 days remaining until the Blue-White Game, which concludes spring camp.
“It is tough," Stevens said. "Obviously I want to be doing everything but, with the exception of the spring game, there are no games in April. It’s all about being healthy for the season.”
Penn State kicks off its 2019 campaign Aug. 31 in Beaver Stadium against Idaho. Between now and then, the Nittany Lions staff — most notably Franklin and offensive coordinator
Ricky Rahne — must determine which quarterback provides PSU with its best chance for success.
“Right now I think we’re in a really good situation," Franklin said Wednesday. "We’ve got five quarterbacks that are all competing, three that are obviously further along."
Stevens, redshirt sophomore
Sean Clifford and redshirt freshman
Will Levis form the trio Franklin mentioned, while early enrolled freshmen
Michael Johnson Jr. and
Ta'Quan Roberson remain in fledgling phases of their collegiate development.
Franklin stated Stevens “has been able to get some really good work” in team “skelly” drills comprised of seven-on-seven competition. All reps are a step in the right direction at this point as he attempts to shake off any rust that may have accrued during a challenging junior year.
Stevens was equipped with a walking boot on his right foot last spring. Midway through August camp, Stevens again landed in a walking boot on that same foot and was seen in possession of crutches.
He made his season debut in Week Five, finishing the fall with 110 passing yards, 118 rushing yards, two receptions and three total touchdowns. Stevens underwent unspecified surgery following the regular season and did not travel with the team to Orlando for Citrus Bowl preparation.
“I was starting to get back in the swing of things in the season, then had a minor setback in the middle of the season and it kind of just continued to get worse," he said. "But all that’s behind me. I had everything done that I needed to be done. I’m ahead of schedule, been doing everything right, and it feels really good.”
This is the outcome Stevens and those around him targeted when determining a surgery timeframe.
“If I would’ve waited until after the (Citrus Bowl), I would’ve been completely shut down (this spring)," he said. "Being able to put myself in this position to compete for the job was, I don’t want to say most important, but if I’m gonna have the opportunity to play the position I need to be doing things in the spring.”
Stevens, who estimates he handles “at least 100 to 200 throws” each day, wants to shed any perception that he can't be counted on to remain healthy for an extended period.
“I’ve kind of been bothered by the whole ‘injury prone’ stigma," Stevens said. "Up until this point last year, I’d never missed a practice. In high school, I never missed anything and played a lot. I wouldn’t say that durability is an issue. I guess (the initial injury) was never really fixed the right way the first time. It was fixed right this time. I’m glad it was fixed right and I’m ready to prove my durability, my worth."
Stevens watches a 2018 practice alongside Franklin (left) and Rahne. (Photo: Mark Brennan-FOS/247)
Whether or not Stevens is a full participant in particular portions of practice, he's embraced expanded obligations off the field.
"With Trace leaving, you’ve gotta have someone step up, and it usually comes from the quarterback position," Stevens said. "I wouldn’t say that I hadn’t been a leader in the past, but vocally I guess that leadership role (is different now). … Trying to get the guys going, emphasize little things in the offense as far as speed — an up-beat tempo and controlling that, not letting the defense dictate that. Just trying to be as vocal as possible and somebody that guys can lean on.”
McSorley provided a strong endorsement of Stevens in this aspect two weeks ago while attending Penn State Pro Day.
“Tommy has taken the leadership role with that entire group," McSorley said. "He’s spearheading everything.”
Leading up to the Citrus Bowl — which punctuated a PSU career in which he established program records for total touchdowns, yards and quarterback victories — McSorley recognized an arduous year for Stevens but asserted it could ultimately serve as a launchpad.
"I think it's one of those things that people talk about adversity making you stronger," he said. "This is one of the things I think will make him better. He's had to grow as a player but (without) having actually been on the field as much as he would have liked. And I think it only benefited him and his future and the team and the (team's) future. So I'm really excited about just how he's going to come out of this and what he's going to become after."
Stevens, who signed with Penn State in 2015 after initially committing to stay in his home state with the Indiana Hoosiers, has waited a while for this shot. He spent three seasons as McSorley's primary backup and filled the team's newly implemented "Lion" role, which enabled him to account for nine total touchdowns in 2017 as a passer, receiver and runner.
“It was not what I pictured myself doing when I signed here," Stevens said. "People sign here, obviously they want to play. So that’s been a difficult thing for me — as much as I am able to do, there was a limit. And really it wasn’t in my power to control the limit of what I was gonna do.”
The process forced Stevens to evolve, even if he wasn't an offensive focal point.
“Trying to (put) the team first and do whatever I could for the team was probably the biggest thing that I learned, and it really helped me grow," Stevens said.
This individual enrichment, and the time required to cultivate it, provides an edge considering there is a two-season gap between Stevens and the next-oldest scholarship quarterback at Penn State.
“Obviously being an experienced player, he’s so far along in the offense and defensive recognition," Franklin said. "… His approach and his maturity has been really good — in meetings, taking notes, and asking great questions, and on the field being locked in.”
Despite abundant praise directed toward Stevens' talent and team loyalty from Franklin, McSorley, Rahne and teammates, nothing is guaranteed in 2019. The door is open for him to deliver on years of promise by maximizing his lone season as a Penn State starter and using it to build NFL draft stock, but a bridge must be crossed before ambition can become reality.
Clifford is viewed as Stevens' primary competitor at quarterback. He earned respect from coaches and teammates with expanded reps on the practice field as a redshirt freshman, filling in as No. 2 QB while Stevens was sidelined. He completed five of seven pass attempts for 195 yards and two touchdowns when called upon to play, tossing the longest scoring pass in Penn State history (95 yards) along the way.
"We got into a situation where Sean was able to take advantage of some of those opportunities that Tommy wasn't available for," Franklin said last month. "And now Sean has gained a lot of confidence from that experience as well. But I've got so much respect for Tommy. I've got so much confidence in Tommy."
Stevens understands there is nothing to take for granted in his situation.
“Every day there is competition at every position," he said. "If you’re not getting pushed, there’s a problem. Even when Trace was here, I was trying to push him every day. ... Cliff’s done a great job, with an increase of reps, too. He plays well and he’s on scholarship at Penn State for a reason. Talented football player.”
No one has ever questioned Stevens' talent, and plenty of Penn State fans became enamored with his abilities as he earned 2017 Blue-White Game MVP honors and flashed exciting moments — a four-touchdown performance in the 2017 regular-season finale stands out — during his days as a valuable backup and "Lion".
“My athleticism and my ability to bring other things to the table in the past could help me in the future," Stevens said. "It’s given me a way to get into games, given me a way to get game reps not just at the quarterback position. It’s gonna help me when I run the football and it’s gonna help me when I throw the football, just based on seeing how guys cover you. I’m excited to play the position that I committed here for but, at the same time, I’m thankful that I was given opportunities to play other positions.”
Three years after Stevens ended up on the wrong side of a Penn State quarterback competition, 2019 — fair or not — is his now-or-never season with the Nittany Lions.
“He is as gifted physically as any quarterback I’ve ever been around," Franklin said. "He’s (6-foot-5, 230 pounds), he can run 4.5 (in the 40-yard dash), he’s got a strong arm, he’s got a natural feel for the game. I’ve always said that there’s different types of quarterbacks. There’s quarterbacks that can memorize their progression, and there’s guys that spatially just can see the field and feel the field, almost like a point guard. (They've) got a natural feel for width and depth, and those types of things, and Tommy has that. He really does.”
We aren't likely to learn whether or not Stevens' time has truly arrived until August. In the meantime, a lengthy process of preparation persists.
"(I’m) gonna continue to grow and learn because there’s really no ceiling on the quarterback position," Stevens said. "I’ve just gotta continue to do what I can, as good as a I can.”
