Reid Compton- USA TODAY Sports
Penn State Coach Bill O’Brien returns to Happy Valley for spring practice after speculation about a potential return to the pros and certainly, the Nittany Lions’ quarterback situation offers even less clarity than it would if he had taken a position with the Cleveland Browns, as the owner of the school’s career passing touchdowns record along with a slew of regular season marks is moving on.
The post-Matt MacGloin era begins with a great deal of uncertainty in spring practice with O’Brien remaining rather hush about the QB spot around the media thus far. Sophomores Tyler Ferguson and Steven Bench comprise the favorites, D.J. Crook and Austin Whipple are walk-ons factoring into spring ball, while freshman Christian Hackenberg hasn’t arrived on campus from high school yet, but has not been ruled out as starter by Coach O’Brien.
“It’s fun when you’re working with the type of guys we’re working with right now,” O’Brien said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We have a very smart room, a hungry room. They are young, they listen, they ask great questions. They really want to be coached, so it’s going to be really fun to go out on the field and watch these guys practice.”
O’Brien instantly injected passing potency into Penn State’s offense upon arriving in Central Pennsylvania after the 2011 season. MacGloin put up prolific numbers in 2012, which in turn have helped players like All-Big Ten selection Allen Robinson flash his skill in the regular season. Whoever grabs the starting role over the coming months will be equipped with a real weapon No. 1 receiver.
Penn State’s Blue-White scrimmage at Beaver Stadium is scheduled for April 20.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
