Trace McSorley

Now that the Christian Hackenberg era is officially over, a new quarterback will be under center when Penn State opens its season against Kent State. Although McSorley has not officially won the job, we give him the edge over redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens. If Penn State fans are expecting another quarterback in the mold of Hackenberg, McSorley is certainly not that, but that may not be a bad thing -- especially under a new offensive coordinator that values a more up-tempo and open style. McSorley checks in at just 6-0, 199, but he has athleticism and speed that should mesh well in the new system. Perhaps most importantly, McSorley will have a wealth of talent around him, including two of the best skill position players in the Big 10 in sophomore running back Saquon Barkley and junior wideout Chris Godwin. Toss in the fact that Penn State now carries a full complement of scholarship athletes after the NCAA sanctions ran their course and Penn State may also have competent offensive line play as well. Again, McSorley will need to beat out Stevens and early enrollee Jake Zembiec, but provided that he does, he could be in for a productive season at the helm of the Penn State offense thanks to his mobility (and thus, ability to pick up first downs with his legs) and strong supporting cast. McSorley only appeared in mop-up duty last season for the most part, but he did perform ably when called upon to replace the injured Hackenberg in Penn State’s bowl game against Georgia, going 14-for-27 for 142 yards and two scores while adding 31 yards on the ground.