Despite increasingly loud calls for Penn State football to start true freshman quarterback Drew Allar over incumbent Sean Clifford, James Franklin has no plans to shake things up right now.

“[Switching to Allar is] the wrong message. That’s the wrong signal,” Franklin said at his Tuesday press conference. “Sean has earned the right to be on the field…you do everything you possibly can to win the next week.”

Buzz about Allar unseating Clifford as QB1 came to a head in the fourth quarter against Michigan when the backup entered the game. But, Franklin confirmed postgame that the change was due to an injury Clifford sustained. The veteran was seen tugging at his throwing shoulder.

Clifford’s status remains unknown ahead of Saturday’s White Out matchup with Minnesota, but Franklin implied that the injury is not season-ending. No additional details were provided.

The Nittany Lions have yet to practice this week, and the media will get a practice viewing window late Wednesday afternoon. This should provide a clearer picture of the starting quarterback’s status.

If Clifford is healthy, he will be the guy against the Golden Gophers.

“Nothing has changed with the plan or the model at this stage,” Franklin said.

About the Author

Ryan Parsons

Ryan is a redshirt senior majoring in business and journalism from "Philadelphia" and mostly writes about football nowadays. You can follow him on Twitter @rjparsons9 or say hi via email at ryanparsons@onwardstate.com.

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