Quite possibly the worst-kept secret in State College was Trace McSorley’s inevitable quarterback battle victory.

The sophomore did everything and more to earn the starting quarterback job. Still, James Franklin held off on naming him the starter early in fall camp. He maintained that it was an open competition between McSorley and redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens.

But Franklin couldn’t wait any longer.

He finally announced that McSorley will be the Lions’ opening day starter.

“It’s not one thing,” Franklin told media members after practice on Wednesday. “It’s a combination of factors. It was spring practice, it was meetings, it was the bowl game, it was being the backup quarterback for two years. It was everything.”

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That’s not surprising news given the way McSorley played in relief of Christian Hackenberg in the TaxSlayer Bowl. McSorley also had a nearly perfect performance in the Lions spring game.

But it’s finally official.

“It was definitely a relief and a weight off my shoulders,” McSorley said to the media after Wednesday’s practice.

He’ll take control of Joe Moorhead’s up-tempo spread offense, which should be a significant change in itself. McSorley’s mobility made him the obvious fit, which bodes well for a unit that still lacks consistent offensive line play.

Penn State’s announcement of McSorley as the starter solidifies what many already knew. He separated himself throughout the offseason, and for the first time in the Franklin era, there wouldn’t be concerns about molding a five-star quarterback.

McSorley will get to work with one of, if not the most talented B1G running back and receiver in Saquon Barkley and Chris Godwin. Will that trio Penn State get over the 7-6 hump?

We’ll get our first sense of that when the Lions host Kent State a week from Saturday.