Penn State’s questions for spring: Which young quarterback will take the biggest step forward?

Penn State’s quarterback room includes one productive, experienced leader and three very talented young followers.

Sean Clifford is back for his sixth season, and he is the Nittany Lions’ projected starter when Penn State opens the season Sept. 1 at Purdue.

Clifford has made 33 career starts, amassed more than 8,000 yards of total offense and thrown 62 career touchdown passes, second-most in program history.

But sooner rather than later, James Franklin and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich are going to have to turn the page on the Clifford era.

Who will be his successor? It likely comes down to which young quarterback makes the biggest strides this offseason.

Redshirt freshman Christian Veilleux has the experience edge over January enrollees Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. The freshmen are eligible to participate in spring drills.

Veilleux emerged as Penn State’s backup quarterback option midway through last season, passing Ta’Quan Roberson on the depth chart.

The highlight of Veilleux’s 2021 season occurred against Rutgers, when he replaced an ailing Sean Clifford early and led the Lions to a 28-0 win at Beaver Stadium in late November. Veilleux threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns against the Scarlet Knights.

Veilleux is still raw, and one of the big questions this spring — and later in August — involves the QB development behind Clifford.

How do you get four quarterbacks up to speed in Yurcich’s offense?

“When it comes to the young quarterbacks, that’s always the challenge in spring ball is how do you get everybody enough reps to be able to be evaluated and also to be developed,” Franklin said Monday.

“Because it’s not just about the quarterbacks, it’s about do you have enough depth on the offensive line, do you have enough depth at wide receiver, tight end, so on and so forth, and then also from a defensive perspective.”

Pribula made an impression on Penn State’s strength and conditioning staff during winter workouts. He is viewed as a potential dual-threat type after amassing 5,639 total yards and 48 total touchdowns during his final two seasons in high school.

Allar, a five-star recruit, has impressive size (6-foot-5, 229 pounds), and most recruiting analysts would tell you he has the most upside of Penn State’s young quarterbacks.

Based on physical tools alone, Allar is the young quarterback to watch in State College over the next several months.