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Josh Moyer, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

James Franklin names redshirt sophomore Trace McSorley top QB

College Football, Penn State Nittany Lions

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Redshirt sophomore Trace McSorley has earned the job as Penn State's starting quarterback, coach James Franklin announced Wednesday night.

McSorley will replace the Nittany Lions' record holder in career passing yards, Christian Hackenberg, who declared early for the 2016 NFL draft and was taken in the second round by the New York Jets.

"It was definitely a relief and a weight off my shoulders," McSorley said after Wednesday's practice.

McSorley served as Hackenberg's backup the last two seasons and impressed in the TaxSlayer Bowl when Hackenberg suffered a second-quarter injury and did not return. McSorley finished that game by going 14-of-27 for 142 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia's No. 1-rated pass defense.

The dual-threat quarterback also played well in the spring game, going 23-of-27 with four TDs. While Franklin emphasized afterward that redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens was involved in an "open competition" with McSorley, the coach also acknowledged that McSorley's experience gave him a natural edge.

Franklin said as recently as two weeks ago that Stevens was starting to gain ground on McSorley -- but the first signal-caller Franklin recruited at Penn State won out in the end.

"It's not one thing," Franklin said. "It's a combination of factors. It was spring practice, it was meetings, it was the bowl game, it was being the backup quarterback for two years. It was everything."

McSorley (6-0, 201 pounds) and the Nittany Lions open the season Sept. 3 vs. Kent State.

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