As awards season and bowl prep continues, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is not yet ready to address future
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is in Las Vegas, Nev., this week.
The veteran passer is out on the west coast for the National Football Foundation’s annual awards dinner. He is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is given annually to “the nation’s top football scholar-athlete” who “is a member of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class.” Clifford is. Twelve other college football players are also up for the honor. The winner will be announced tonight at some point during the 7-10 p.m. PST event.
Clifford is not the only Nittany Lion on hand, of course. Current safeties coach Anthony Poindexter is also in town to be introduced in person as part of the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. He is not currently speaking publically about his future, of course, but surely is in private. Rumors call him a leading or top candidate for the open Virginia job. Poindexter stared for the Cavaliers, of course. That opportunity became open when Bronco Mendenhall surprisingly stepped down last week. Poindexter, despite never being a head coach before, was quickly linked to the job.
Penn State fans should soon know where Poindexter will be next year. At any rate, at least, they’ll almost certainly know before Clifford makes his intentions for the 2022 season known.
The Ohio native can come back for another season thanks to the NCAA’s free COVID year of eligibility. Whether or not he will, though, is still up in the air. That is still the case after No. 14 talked one-on-one with the NFF Monday.
Clifford’s focus is on Penn State and its bowl game, not an announcement about the future
NFF Interviewer: “What’s next, like, what are your future plans?”
Sean Clifford: “I don’t know. Just continue playing. We got this bowl game, the Outback Bowl against Arkansas, coming up. And then, from there, we’ll see.
“Just super blessed and honored to be up for such a prestigious award going forward, meeting so many people, and gaining connections. So, real excited about this week.”
It should be no surprise that Clifford did not divulge what his next step will be after the 2021 season concludes. Head coach James Franklin offered a direct reminder on Sunday to anyone who forgot that he lets his players announce their plans rather than doing it for them. And, during his tenure in State College, those declarations have almost always come following a bowl game.
That does not mean Clifford will not be asked about what lies ahead in the media interviews he takes part in leading up to a New Year’s Day meeting with the Razorbacks in Tampa, Fla. But, don’t expect any definitive answers until after the clock hits 00:00, at the earliest.
