Change coming at Penn State? James Franklin's quarterback talk is different now

Drew Allar's biggest college moments are coming Saturday at Indiana, quite possibly.

If not, then the week after in Beaver Stadium against Maryland.

But it sounds like this will be arriving shortly after listening to coach James Franklin grind through his latest weekly press conference.

Much of the 30 minutes of Franklin's talking and answering Tuesday revolved around the quarterback dilemma involving senior Sean Clifford and freshman Drew Allar.

Dilemma? Deciding whether to begin handing over the team to the rookie isn't just hot-topic discussion for fans and media types, according to Franklin himself.

When asked whether this was the time to start seeing more of Allar, Franklin provided insight into the situation. He said he's already talked about this with those like his offensive and defensive coordinators and offensive analysts Ken Whisenhunt (former NFL head coach) and Danny O'Brien (former college quarterback).

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“First of all, it’s not a decision that I make on my own. Whenever there's a big decision like that I want to make sure that I’m not too close to it. ... got everybody's thoughts," Franklin said. "And we’ll continue to evaluate it as well, like we always do.

“We’re going to look at who gives us the best chance to be 1 and 0 this week and go from there. And whoever that is, based on this week’s practice and preparation, we’ll go with. And that’s really kind of how it’s been all year long."

But this isn't like anything previously this season. Penn State is out of the Big Ten title picture. It has no Top 20 opponents remaining. It can only gain so much by playing Clifford, exclusively, the rest of the way.

Franklin didn't purposely makes excuses for the quarterback he truly admires, either. Didn't double down on him being a sixth-year senior or a four-year captain or how he's expert at directing and managing the offense on the field. Even how he's made a couple of the best throws of his college career recently.

Franklin knows, like everyone else this: That Clifford turned the ball over five times in the past two games, twice at the end to kill the Ohio State upset.

The kid who possesses all of the raw talent Clifford, and most others, for that matter, are not blessed with.

He also acknowledged maybe the most important point: That you don't have to give up the best chance at winning now to build for the later.

"I hope you can do those two things together," he said Tuesday. "I don’t think they’re exclusive of one another. ... I think there's a balance between the two."

If anything, he matter-of-factly rolled off Allar's intriguing if not dominant qualities. His playing sample size is small but impressive this fall.

“He’s a giant human being with a quick release that can get the ball out, make all the throws," Franklin said. "He’s got tremendous arm talent. Some guys who are big, strong guys are not very accurate. He’s shown to be accurate. He can throw from different launch points and angles. And for a young kid … I think he’s doing a really good job of preparing."

Which, again, doesn't mean Franklin and Penn State are ready to anoint him as the exclusive leader. Maybe Clifford starts again on Saturday but Allar gets to share early work for the first time. Or that Clifford will be running on a short leash, a couple of early mistakes away from the bench, like two years ago at Nebraska.

Allar still may not get this shot for another week or two.

But the talk seems different now with the head coach. It's more about how things were said even than the words.

Clifford, for example, approached his head coach on Sunday to talk but the two haven't gotten together yet, as of Tuesday afternoon. Franklin didn't say what it may be about.

But he made a point to mention it.

"We had good conversations with the staff to make sure we're all on the same page," he said. “That no one is making decisions in a silo by themselves.”

He could have been talking about any part of his team following a brutal, last-quarter defeat to Ohio State.

But this was about the most important position on the field. In November, no less.

The time is coming soon.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on Twitter @YDRPen

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football: James Franklin, Drew Allar vs. Indiana Hoosiers