Penn State is a "Linebacker U." Everyone knows that. If you walk into a bar in State College, you’ll see jerseys for Jack Ham, LaVar Arrington, or Micah Parsons. But if you start talking about a list of Penn State quarterbacks, the conversation gets a lot more complicated—and way more heated.
Honestly, for a long time, the quarterback spot at Penn State was seen as a "game manager" role. You handed the ball to a legendary running back, stayed out of the way, and let the defense win the game. But that’s a total myth if you actually look at the history. From the leather-helmet days to Drew Allar’s massive arm, the guys under center in Happy Valley have been some of the most prolific, if occasionally polarizing, athletes in college football.
The Stat Leaders: Clifford, McSorley, and the Modern Era
If you’re looking at a pure list of Penn State quarterbacks based on numbers, the top of the mountain looks very different than it did twenty years ago. The modern era, specifically under James Franklin, has absolutely shattered the record books.
Sean Clifford (2018–2022) is the name that sits at the very top of almost every major category. Love him or hate him—and Penn State fans spent five years doing both—the guy was a machine for volume. He finished his career with 10,661 passing yards and 86 touchdowns. Those are "video game" numbers for a program that used to pride itself on three yards and a cloud of dust.
Then you’ve got Trace McSorley (2015–2018). If Clifford is the stat king, Trace is the soul of the modern era. He’s second on the all-time yardage list with 9,899 yards, but it was his "wizardry" that defined him. That 2016 Big Ten Championship run? That was all Trace. He had this weird, gritty ability to make a play out of nothing, usually ending in a deep ball to Chris Godwin or a soul-crushing 12-yard scramble on 3rd and 10.
The Career Passing Yardage Leaders
- Sean Clifford: 10,661 yards
- Trace McSorley: 9,899 yards
- Christian Hackenberg: 8,427 yards
- Drew Allar: 7,402 yards (as of 2025)
- Zack Mills: 7,212 yards
It’s kinda wild to see Zack Mills still up there. He played in the early 2000s when the team was struggling, yet he held those records for over a decade. He was the bright spot in some pretty dark years for the Nittany Lions.
The "What If" Guys and the Legends
You can't talk about Penn State signal-callers without mentioning Christian Hackenberg. He’s the ultimate "What If." He arrived as a five-star savior, the guy who stayed when the NCAA sanctions hit. His freshman year under Bill O'Brien was legendary—he looked like a future #1 overall pick. But after O'Brien left for the NFL, Hackenberg spent the next two years running for his life behind a porous offensive line. He still sits 3rd all-time in yards, but fans always wonder what he could have done in a different system.
Then there’s the 1994 season. Kerry Collins.
If you ask any Penn State fan over the age of 40 who the best pure passer in school history is, they’ll say Kerry Collins before you can even finish the question. In '94, that offense was unstoppable. Collins threw for 2,679 yards in a season where they basically stopped playing him in the fourth quarter because they were up by 40. He’s one of the few PSU QBs who actually had a massive, sustained NFL career, playing 16 seasons and taking the Giants to a Super Bowl.
The National Champions
While the stat leaders are great, the guys who actually got the ring occupy a different tier of the list of Penn State quarterbacks.
- Todd Blackledge (1982): He is the blueprint. Blackledge wasn't a stat-stuffer, but he was a winner. He led the Lions to their first-ever undisputed National Championship, beating Herschel Walker’s Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. He ended up being a first-round pick in the famous 1983 NFL Draft—the same one that produced John Elway and Dan Marino.
- John Shaffer (1986): Shaffer is the most interesting "winner" on the list. He wasn't flashy. He didn't have a cannon. But he went 25-1 as a starter. He led the 1986 team to an upset over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the school's second national title.
- Chuck Burkhart (1968-1969): Talk about a throwback. Burkhart went 22-0 as a starter. He won two Orange Bowls. His stats? They’re almost funny by today’s standards—he once threw one touchdown and nine interceptions in a season and still won every game. That’s the ultimate "Linebacker U" era quarterbacking.
The Dual-Threat Revolution
Before McSorley, there was Michael Robinson. In 2005, M-Rob changed everything. He was the first Penn State QB to really be a "weapon" with his legs in a modern sense. He threw for over 2,000 yards and rushed for 800+ in the same year. He finished 5th in the Heisman voting and basically willed that team to an Orange Bowl win over Florida State.
Watching Robinson was just different. He didn't slide. He didn't run out of bounds. He ran over safeties. Most people forget he actually played wide receiver and tailback earlier in his career before taking over the QB spot.
Daryll Clark followed that blueprint a few years later. Clark is arguably the most underrated guy on the whole list. He led Penn State to back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2008 and 2009. He was thick, strong, and had a surprisingly deep ball. He holds the record for most passing touchdowns in a season (24) for a long time before McGloin and McSorley came along.
Why the NFL has Been a Struggle
It’s the elephant in the room. For all the college success, the list of Penn State quarterbacks in the NFL is... well, it’s a bit thin.
Aside from Kerry Collins and Milt Plum (who was a Pro-Bowler in the 60s), there hasn't been a "franchise" guy. Jeff Hostetler won a Super Bowl with the Giants, but he actually transferred away from Penn State because he couldn't beat out Todd Blackledge.
Lately, guys like Will Levis have shown that Penn State can recruit NFL talent (even if Levis eventually finished his career at Kentucky). Drew Allar is the current hope. He has the size—6'5", 240 lbs—and the "NFL arm" that scouts drool over. If Allar can lead a deep playoff run and then go on to be a first-round pick, he might finally break the "game manager" stigma that has followed this program for half a century.
Common Misconceptions
People often think Joe Paterno hated the pass. That’s not entirely true. He just hated mistakes. If you had a guy like Kerry Collins or Chuck Fusina, Joe would let it fly.
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Another big one: "The stats prove Clifford was the best." Stats are tricky. Clifford played more games than almost anyone in history because of the COVID eligibility year. If you look at "yards per game" or "efficiency," guys like Collins or even Matt McGloin (the walk-on who became a starter) look a lot better.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re trying to settle a debate about the best Penn State QB, you have to categorize them first. You can’t compare 1969 to 2024.
- For pure winning: Look at Chuck Burkhart or John Shaffer.
- For pure talent: It’s Kerry Collins or Christian Hackenberg.
- For the "It" factor: It’s Trace McSorley or Michael Robinson.
- For the record books: It’s Sean Clifford.
The best way to appreciate this list is to look at the Quarterback Club archives or the official Penn State Football Record Book. You'll find that the "boring" reputation of PSU quarterbacks is mostly just a result of the team's historic focus on defense. When the Lions have a great one, they're usually in the hunt for a national title.
As the program moves into the expanded 12-team playoff era, the pressure on the quarterback has never been higher. The days of winning with 1 touchdown and 9 interceptions are long gone. The modern Penn State QB has to be a playmaker, a runner, and a leader—all while carrying the weight of a legacy that spans over a hundred years of "We Are" history.