Long time Penn State head coach Joe Paterno still somehow gets great recruits, likely because playing for a legendary coach and program cannot hurt, and Joe Pa maximizes the ability of a player as good as any coach in college football. The Last two seasons, the Nittany Lions have struggled to find a replacement to former quarterback Daryl Clark, who took PSU to the rose bowl in '07-08, losing to USC in a hard fought battle that nobody expected the Lions to win 38-24. In the spring of last year, Paterno had to choose which talented incoming freshman would get the job as starting quarterback? Rob Bolden was the #5 overall prospect at QB, while fellow freshman QB, Paul Jones, was the 7th ranked QB coming out of high school. It was Bolden who got the call, and started right out of the gates vs Youngstown State in week 1. Sophomores Matt McGloin, and Kevin Newsome also saw action at QB last season for the Nittany Lions, but it will be Bolden that will have the expectations thrown at him. Especially since he is the top prospect at the position on the team, and he had an up and down freshman season, throwing for a modest 1,360 yards with a 5/7 touchdown to interception ratio. Traditionally, Penn State runs a pro style offense, so Bolden was not given the room to improvise or run on plays called for him. Adjusting the offensive scheme to fit Bolden's abilities might be the best way to go for the Lions in the future and upcoming season. At some point this season, Bolden will break out of his shell, and take the starting position for good.
Article: Ronald Hill
Photo: courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
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