After distancing himself from a college football organizing group, Penn State QB Sean Clifford a big focus of Big Ten media day

INDIANAPOLIS — Inside Lucas Oil Stadium, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford sat in the pocket Wednesday afternoon, right about the 12-yard line, a rush coming at him for a steady hour from his left, right, and straight ahead, with cameras and tape recorders.

Clifford, ready to start his fourth season as Penn State’s starting quarterback, looked at his watch a bunch of times — you always want to know much time is on the clock, right? He stayed cool throughout. He stuck with the game plan.

Clifford’s recent involvement with a group that calls itself the College Football Players Association, and his more recent distancing from it, was going to make the him a media magnet as he sat at a mini-podium during Wednesday’s Big Ten media day.

» READ MORE: Penn State ground zero for an attempt to organize players on issues such as revenue sharing

Clifford, to be clear, is no villain here. He has committed no crime. His motives? Honorable. (Where the CFBPA efforts to organize stand at Penn State ... unclear.) Clifford’s name had made national news on a hot-button issue for our times. How much fun could this be?

“We are five days away from camp, you know, that’s the main thing right now,” Clifford said. “Just to address what happened: Do I want to make change for college athletics, for college athletes across the country? Absolutely. That’s one of the things I set out to do this offseason, and I still believe that.

“I’m very blessed to be in a situation to have a commissioner that’s open to conversations, a head coach that’s open to conversations, a new athletic director that is open to conversations. It’s a blessing, 100 percent. But I’m here for Penn State and Sept. 1.”

First question was asking Clifford if a strength coach hadn’t walked into a Penn State player meeting with CFBPA reps, could things have turned out differently?

“I’m going to stick to football questions,” Clifford said. “But I appreciate the question.”

He was asked about specific issues he’s concerned about, such as independent medical treatment.

“Yeah, those are things, I stated in my statement on Twitter, obviously I’m all for moving forward and helping athletes,” Clifford said. “Again, five days away from fall camp, so we’re going to stick to that.”

Next question: Did he contemplate not coming to the media day?

“Big Ten media day?” Clifford said. “No, absolutely not. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Could never miss it.”

If you want to file all this in the “who cares?” department, nobody at Penn State was. Asking James Franklin how Clifford was handling this turn in the spotlight, so different than playing in front of 100,000 people on a Saturday night, the Nittany Lions head coach said, “Yeah, you know, I would say … well.”

Franklin then added, “If we had to choose to do it all over again, we’d probably choose to do it differently, right? But that’s part of growing up. This is a learning opportunity for him. This is a learning opportunity for our players. But these conversations are critical. They’re critical on every college campus.”

For Clifford, the questions moved on, turned back. Clifford has a fascinating story to tell. He launched his own Name, Image and Likeness agency this offseason and is the CEO of Limitless NIL.

“I see myself as a leader in the locker room first and foremost, there for every single student-athlete that comes in contact with me,” Clifford said. “Because I want to make sure I’m there for them the same way great leaders were there for me early. Trace McSorley being one of them; Saquon Barkley, Mike Gesicki, Chris Godwin … all those guys who were in the locker room before me. I’m just trying to make them proud, make them, you know, Penn State proud, which is a lot to live up to, which is cool.”

Everyone has to balance their life, Clifford said. The main thing for him is football. But being who he is — “and having a nice planner” — keeps him on course.

“I don’t like to not be busy,” Clifford said. “I don’t like to just sit in my room and hang out. I like to be active, meet new people, have an opportunity to talk.”

Clifford said the locker room is in a good place.

“First time I’ve been able to grow within the same offense,” Clifford said of having a returning offensive coordinator. “A great feeling, to try to be able to master that system.”

Asked about his growth, Clifford said everyone has their own path.

“I’ve been here since it feels like 1922 — a hundred years, it feels like,” he said. “I’m proud of my career and my teammates’ careers here. We’re trying to leave a legacy. I’ve grown a lot. It’s exciting to continue that in Year 6.”

» READ MORE: The Big Ten is a network, not a conference

Status report on the NIL agency?

“Was really excited to be able to start that, to be able to help other players with what I learned,” Clifford said. “It’s not what I’m doing …”

There are 25 players involved, Clifford said, represented by the agency.

He doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do after football, although he uses the word entrepreneur.

“Whether that be after this year or 15 years down the line and I’m competing with Tom Brady for the longest NFL legacy,” Clifford said.

He’s not that much of a social media person, he noted.

“I don’t go on Twitter or TikTok as much,” Clifford said. “I’m more like, go online and I’ll be looking at like Bloomberg and how the market’s doing. Truly, I’ve found two passions in my life that I love so much. Football being the number one, and a close second is being an entrepreneur and being a CEO.”

With NIL — “it’s a conversation with a lot of guys that have never had a voice,” he said. “But realistically, I keep saying it — I hate repeating myself — but five days away, the only thing really on my mind is getting those pads on.”

» READ MORE: Penn State’s PJ Mustipher returns to Happy Valley hungrier than ever

Jason Stahl, the head of the fledging CFBPA, used the term “flipped” for how Clifford to that movement had changed his approach after talking to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and people at Penn State.

Flipped kind of is an incendiary word, an interesting one to be used, by the way, by someone trying to convince current players nationwide to join his organization. What would Clifford say to that?

“I won’t speak on it,” Clifford said.

“I don’t have any reaction to that,” Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft said of Stahl using that word “flipped” in terms of Clifford’s thought process.

In his conversations with Clifford, did Kraft see a change?

“No — no, not at all,” Kraft said. “I feel … I’m proud of him, actually … for being honest, and coming asking questions, and being an adult. And being able to use his voice, with us … I would never have done that as a player.”

The game plan had been followed. Clifford handled it all gracefully. No rusher broke through.

“His heart is always in the right place,” Franklin said a little later across the field.