Kirk Herbstreit knows a thing or two about college football. Recently, the popular analyst and mainstay of ESPN’s College GameDay weighed in on the picture for the B1G in 2022.

When it came to picking a “sleeper” program for the season, Herbstreit turned his attention to James Franklin and his Penn State squad. Herbstreit admitted he does like Sean Clifford at quarterback for the Nittany Lions.

“Penn State, people seem to be kind of indifferent on Sean Clifford,” said Herbstreit. “I like him. Obviously, he’s going to have to make more consistent decisions.

“This is a team, remember Bear, they were No. 2 in the country when he went down in Iowa City. If he stays healthy, who knows what could have happened to Penn State’s year… Look out for Penn State, they’re still out there.”

Penn State did finish 7-6 last season and ended the year with a bowl loss to Arkansas. It can be said the injury to Clifford was a negative turning point in 2021, but he returns and will need to stay healthy and productive for the team to produce in 2022.

Beyond Clifford, the offensive line will be under scrutiny. That unit will be tasked with keeping Clifford on his feet and paving the way for a ground game that underperformed last season.