The 2019 offseason caused quite the shakeup for Penn State football. While they knew they were going to lose their long-term starter Trace McSorley to the NFL — nobody expected them to lose his eventual replacement, Tommy Stevens. Initially, Stevens was going to take over, but he couldn’t get a verbal guarantee from the Nittany Lions head coach, James Franklin.
So Stevens up and left for Mississippi State, where he knew he was going to be issued a starting spot right off the bat. Stevens departure quickly made Sean Clifford the favorite to start for Penn State’s 2019 campaign.