Through development, Stevens draws confidence of Nittany Lions

If James Franklin’s vision comes to fruition this season, quarterback Tommy Stevens will be one of its beneficiaries.

Entering his redshirt sophomore season, Stevens returns to the Nittany Lions coming off a debut in which he played in seven games, completed 2 of 3 passing attempts, and racked up 198 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries. The clear No. 2 to returning starter Trace McSorley, though, Stevens’ contributions will largely be dictated by the performances of those ahead of him.

And that, Franklin said, is not a bad thing.

“I would make the argument this is how it should be every year moving forward, that we have multiple quarterbacks in the program that you feel like you can win with. No different than what we have at running back right now. No different than what we have at O-line now,” said Franklin. “We're getting to a point now where this is the expectation, that there's competition and legitimate battles across the board. We haven't lived in this world for a number of years, so it's different but I want people to get used to this. This is how it should be.

“Trace is our starting quarterback and we are really excited about Tommy and his future and hopefully we'll put ourselves in some positions that Tommy as well as a number of guys will have an opportunity to play.”

Should those opportunities exist for Stevens in the season ahead, teammates have demonstrated throughout the summer months their confidence in just such a scenario.

Stevens, now listed at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds with two full seasons as a Nittany Lion under his belt, is said to have taken big steps through the summer months in his personal evolution.

“The big thing is confidence. He has got so much confidence right now. He has a lot of swagger and I love it,” said roommate and Nittany Lion wide receiver Juwan Johnson. “It’s something I didn’t see last year. He lacked a lot of confidence and he was very hesitant about a lot of things, but I feel like he has a lot of confidence and a lot of swagger, and I love it right now.”

That confidence started to manifest itself as the Nittany Lion season progressed in 2016. Making his first appearance in the opener against Kent State, Stevens wouldn’t register a statistic, nor would he appear in any of the Lions’ subsequent four games afterward. Producing 36 yards against Maryland midway through the season, though, Stevens saw his opportunities climb to include five carries against Purdue, another five with a touchdown against Iowa, and six with a touchdown in the Lions’ rout at Rutgers.

Following it up with a 17 for 24 performance with 216 yards and three touchdowns in the Blue-White game, Stevens again asserted himself as a quarterback worthy of the praise. Through those experiences, the practice repetitions and informal workouts throughout the offseason, Stevens’ fellow Nittany Lions have developed further trust.

“He's been in games before and has made plays. You guys saw him perform in the spring game, he was very effective,” said tight end Mike Gesicki. “Tommy, he was my roommate for about two years and I loved living with him. He was a great teammate, he's just a great guy to be around.”

Joining teammates to work on the details, harping on the little things on nights throughout the summer, those relationships were strengthened as the Nittany Lions progressed into preseason camp this month.

So too, said Gesicki, was Stevens ability to handle the minutia of a job that requires incredible attention to detail and a level of comfort that can only develop with experience.

“When he first got here, he had trouble reading defenses and making the reads and doing all that kind of stuff, so I think that he's comfortable in the role of being a quarterback now,” said Gesicki. “So now that everything else can take care of itself with him making plays with his feet, making plays with his arm, playing with instincts and all that kind of stuff and being a playmaker.”

And though the extent to which Stevens will be able to make an impact with the Nittany Lions in the season ahead remains to be seen, teammates and coaches are confident in what those results could be.

“He's everything you want in a quarterback at the collegiate level. He's a leader, he's a positive guy, he's fun to be around and he's a playmaker honestly, whether it's with his feet or with his arm,” said Gesicki. “So specifically, if he were to get in the game, by any circumstances, anybody on our team would be completely comfortable and confident that Tommy is going to go in there and be extremely effective. He prepares every single week like he's the starter because he has to.

“Obviously, Trace has done a phenomenal job for us, can't say enough about him, but I love Tommy to death and when he does get his chance at some point playing college football, he's going to make a big splash.”