Early offseason storylines for Penn State football: Diaz era begins, offense must hunt for fixes, more
The offseason is officially underway for the Penn State football program.
Head coach James Franklin’s team finished what can only be described as a disappointing 2021 season with an Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas. Many familiar problems popped up throughout the 24-10 setback. The Lions must start the break between that game and the next one by reviewing what went wrong and why. Straining out the positives from last year will be create important building blocks for the future, too.
“Obviously did some really good things early on, made some huge plays, had some big-time wins in tough environments on the road to start the season,” Franklin said in Tampa when asked to sum up the season. “We had some injuries that we weren’t able to overcome quick enough. But we’re responsible for all of that. I get it. I get it. But overall I’m proud of the guys in that locker room not only as players. A lot of moving parts on the staff as well, which wasn’t brought up. But that’s part of college football now. I’m very, very appreciative of the guys in that locker room, players, coaches, staff, everybody else.
“We started out 5-0, did some great things, weren’t able to finish the season the way we wanted to. We’ve got some things to work on and we’ll get it fixed.”
Here is a closer look at some early off-season storylines.
The Diaz era is underway
Manny Diaz is an energetic man. He was not coaching during his time with the team in Tampa, but just after watching him watch a couple of practices from afar plus game day, it’s clear that he does not lack passion or excitement.
That’s important, as his era as the team’s defensive coordinator is now officially underway.
Diaz will not be asked to completely overhaul the scheme Brent Pry ran for a number of years. But, he will be able to put his own stamp on it. How he goes about doing so in conjunction with the other defensive assistants and of course the players will be a fascinating thing to follow over the next few months.
Beyond that, fans will be curious to know how he interacts with and helps the program land recruits. That is another key part of his role, of course.
Penn State has played good defense in the Franklin era, but some areas for improvement will be correcting missed tackles, shoring things up in the front seven following a number of departures, and continuing to keep the turnover trend started mostly by safety Ji’Ayir Brown rolling.
One final note: P.J. Mustipher’s return is a big boost for both Diaz and his defense in 2022.
What can Yurcich, players, and staff do so that the offense is better in year two at Penn State?
Mike Yurcich’s hiring was covered with much fanfare, including from this writer, before the 2021 season.
It goes without saying that things did not play out as expected.
Penn State’s offense failed to score more than 28 points against a Power-5 opponent in 2021. It totaled 31 as a team against Maryland, but one of those touchdowns came from a pick six.
Statistically, Penn State finished with the Big Ten’s No. 9 total offense. It was bogged down considerably by a run game that ranked No. 13 in the conference compared to the fourth-best passing attack. Even that part of the offense struggled to work consistently, however.
Ultimately, the Lions must be better on offense in 2021. There is plenty of blame to go around this offseason, but pointing fingers, even if constructively, can only last for so long. Collectively, Yurcich and the assistants on offense must make major adjustments over the next couple of months and then be ready to implement them once spring practice begins.
How will the quarterback situation play out?
One major question to answer is this: Is Sean Clifford the sure-fire QB1 in 2022, or is it an open competition between the returning sixth-year senior, backup Christian Veilleux, and incoming standout passers Drew Allar and Beau Pribula at the start of drills in March?
History tells us that it will likely be Clifford’s job to lose because of his longevity with the program. But, that can’t be discussed without mentioning the clear struggles over the last two seasons. An injury completely changed the quarterback’s 2021 outlook midway through the season, but the stats, and tape, that represent and showcase the issues are still there. Clifford said, too, that he felt great before the Outback Bowl. His performance still didn’t improve, however.
This is easily the topic that will be debated most by Lions fans to start the year. Most will want an open competition, and they have a good reason for doing so.
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What impact will the early enrollees make at Penn State?
An extremely talented group of first-year players will start classes at Penn State next week.
Besides Allar and Pribula, the list includes:
Running back Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton
Tight end Jerry Cross
Receivers Omari Evans and Kaden Saunders
Guard JB Nelson
Defensive tackle Zane Durant
Corner Cam Miller
Fans will be eager to get a look at all of them during the Blue-White game. Here’s betting that at least a few will make an early impact.
Who steps up to replace all of the lost production?
Penn State is seeking replacements for both on-field production and off-field leadership.
The Lions are expected to start spring practice without as many as three offensive line starters (though Mike Miranda has not yet said if he will bypass the COVID eligibility year or not), one first-team receiver, a pair of top ends, one defensive tackle, two linebackers, and a starter at corner and safety each.
It’s fair to say that the Lions must find new contributors at some of the most important positions on the field. But, that’s what recruiting and the transfer portal are for, in addition to continual development. Penn State is far from the only team to lose large chunks of its stat sheet, of course. Like others it wants to be like, the Lions must figure out how to best replace what they no longer have with little to no drop off, and ideally, improvement.
There is a staff element to this, too. Franklin quickly snagged Stacy Collins away from Boise State to replace Joe Lorig, who left for Oregon. Next, he must replace longtime off-field staffer Michael Hazel, who left for a promotion at Virginia Tech.
