Beloved former Penn State quarterback joining James Franklin’s coaching staff as an offensive analyst

A day after one fan-favorite former Penn State quarterback, Matt McGloin, accepted an offensive analyst job for former Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien (which he later resigned from), an even more beloved former Nittany Lion signal-caller has accepted the same job title for James Franklin in Happy Valley. Trace McSorley, who quarterbacked Penn State from 2016-18 and in 2016 led the program to its first Big Ten title since 2008, is the newest member of his former head coach’s staff for the 2025 season.

After his memorable career in Happy Valley, McSorley became a sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played in nine regular season NFL games across three different seasons, first in Baltimore in 2019 and 2020, then he made his only career start in 2022 for the Arizona Cardinals.

The former Penn State QB will turn 30 in August. This will be his first job in coaching, and it comes in the place where he is forever a legend. Though his successor Sean Clifford surpassed him as the program’s all-time leading passer, McSorley’s career featured more memorable victories, including Franklin’s lone victory over Ohio State across his 11-year tenure at Penn State and the 2016 Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin.

McSorley finished his career with 9,899 passing yards and 77 touchdowns to 25 interceptions. The undersized and mobile QB also ran for 1,697 yards and 30 more trips to the end zone. He orchestrated dynamic offenses that featured Saquon Barkley, Chris Godwin, Mike Gesicki, and Miles Sanders.

McSorley is likely to work under quarterback coach Danny O’Brien and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to help coach senior quarterback Drew Allar and aid in the development of former four-star Ethan Grunkemeyer. He will not, however, get the opportunity to coach Beau Pribula, who wore McSorley’s No. 9, and many Penn State fans compared to the legend. Pribula, another undersized, mobile QB with a serious edge transferred to Missouri this offseason.

McSorley might be a valuable asset to Allar as he hopes to lead Penn State to a national championship in 2025. Allar could use a dash of McSorley’s aggressiveness as the latter was known for his 50/50 deep shots, especially in 2016 with Godwin and Gesicki both on the roster. Allar has limited turnovers throughout his tenure as the Nittany Lion’s starting QB – aside from a break-backing interception in the Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame this winter – but has often been criticized for his unwillingness to push the ball downfield and trust his receivers.

An entirely revamped receiving corp may help build that trust heading into next season, but a dash of McSorley’s mindset sprinkled on top of Allar’s remarkable skillset and physical tools may be the recipe for big-time success in the College Football Playoff, and eventually the NFL.