Daryll Clark (foreground) and Pat Devlin (background), a picture that is unfortunatley a great metaphor for Devlin's time at Penn State
Every Nittany Lion fan has their favorite players. In the past, mine have been less obscure guys who do their thing. Guys recently like Ethan Kilmer (2005) and for the last two years, Terrell Golden (when we finally threw him the ball against Wisconsin last year I was ecstatic, ask anyone in our row).
In 2005, a kid from Downingtown named Pat Devlin emerged as one of the best prep quarterbacks in the nation. Despite verbaling to Miami, he changed his mind to come to Penn State. Redshirted in 2006, Devlin sat at fourth on the depth chart last year behind Anthony Morelli, Darryl Clark and Paul Cianciolo. As a freshman, Devlin got in to three games, but did not complete a pass in any of them. The Nits would go to the Alamo Bowl where Joe Paterno would play back-up Darryl Clark at quarterback for a somewhat good portion of the game, en route to a win.
Enter spring of 2008. Happy Valley is abuzz over what appears to be a competition for the quarterback job, between Clark and Devlin. Advertising equal playing time in the few weeks leading up to the season opener against Coastal Carolina, Paterno gives the nod to Clark, a move which surprised no one.
Devlin, who would play in the first four games of the season (including the first one, which I wore a self-made “Pat Devlin for Heisman” t-shirt), threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns (both coming against Syracuse). When the Big Ten season opened up against Illinois, Devlin did not play. The next week, a road trip to Purdue, he did not play. He would make it in to the next three games, a win over Wisconsin, a win over Michigan (highlighted by a 80-yard screenpass for a TD to Stephfon Green which made many “invested” fans very happy) and then of course, the Ohio State game.
In that contest, Devlin came in for a concussed Clark and led the Lions down the field for the game’s only touchdown en route to a 13-6 win to keep them undefeated. Two weeks later, Clark was back in and showed signs of the concussion in a loss to Iowa, a game in which Devlin never left the sidelines. Devlin did see action in the last two games, including a 59-yard touchdown pass to Deon Butler against Michigan State.
Little did we know that would be the last pass Devlin would throw in a Penn State uniform.
News broke from the Penn State sports information department on Wednesday night about Devlin’s intentions of transferring. If he had stayed at Penn State, he would have sat next year behind Darryl Clark and had one year of starting for the Lions. Rumor around the internets is that he is looking at schools like Delaware, James Madison, Richmond or Villanova; all of which are division FCS. If he would stay in FBS, he would have to sit one year due to NCAA eligibility rules.
So where does that leave us? Paul Ciancoiolo will be the back-up for the Rose Bowl, and then he will leave PSU, he has already graduated. Clark will have one year left before we need another QB. Earlier this year, a Michigan verbal, Kevin Newsome backed out and began to look at other schools. This past weekend, he was in State College. Does this pave the way for him to come to Happy Valley and be a three-year starter? We will find all that out soon enough.
As for Devlin, he was my player at Penn State this year. When he got in to a game, I paid attention. The two prettiest passes he threw all year were his first and last. The bomb to Butler in the Michigan State game was the prettiest deep-ball I’ve ever seen thrown in person. Penn State hasn’t had someone capable of that in a while, and it would have made a difference with this corps of wideouts about to play their last game in blue and white.
We like Clark, but at the same time, we’re not busting doors down to get a #17 jersey. On the other hand, I bought an old (presumably) #7 Zack Mills jersey on ebay Saturday. I guess the joke is on me. It will go along well with the afforementioned t-shirt.
Bottom line is, this one is on the quarterbacks coach and the old man. People who are outside this fan base laughed at us when we had a supposed “all-world” quarterback in Anthony Morelli. The way we hyped him made Wolverine and Buckeye fans laugh. Now, when we get an actual good quarterback, he leaves because he has no connection with the QB coach. That makes us look good too.
Hopefully this changes the seniority rule for this school. Seniors do not always make the best football players. Look at kids like Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, Evan Royster, Mickey Shuler and Aaron Maybin. If there is talent, play the kid; it’s what drives me most crazy about this program.
Talent knows no age, but apparently it does know when it will have the opportunity to display itself. Good luck Pat, tear it up wherever you go (UPDATE: Looks like U of Delaware), this little piece of Nittany Nation will be pulling for you.
