HERO Sports is counting down the days until the kickoff of the 2018 college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, by featuring the best player in the FBS at each jersey number, from 99-1. Each day, from May 18 through Aug. 24, we'll publish one article showcasing the best player whose jersey number matches the number of days remaining.
No. 9 Trace McSorley
Penn State – QB
Joe Moorhead, Saquon Barkley, Mike Gesicki and DaeSean Hamilton are gone from a powerful Penn State offense that ranked fifth nationally in points per play and seventh in points per game.
Why is Penn State still ranked 11th in the HERO Sports Preseason Top 100? Why are they a contender in the toughest division in college football? And why do the Nittany Lions have the ninth-best odds to make the College Football Playoff?
Trace McSorley.
With all due respect to one of the best defensive ends in the country in Shareef Miller, a potential star at running back in Miles Sanders, and one of the best offensive lines in the Big Ten, Trace McSorley is the reason Penn State could win at least 11 games for a third consecutive season — a first in program history.
“It’s been a real seamless transition,” McSorley said of former tight ends coach Ricky Rahne replacing Joe Moorhead as coordinator. “…[H]e knows everyone on this offense, he knows what positions they’re in, what situations where some guys might need to get a little better and everyday he comes out here he’s extremely competitive and he wants us winning every single period, every single rep and he’s going to push us to be as good as we can be. He wants that out of this offense every day.”
CFB Road Trip: 44 Games, 30,000 Miles in 106 Days
McSorley flourished under Moorhead, transforming from a talented but often-reckless passer into a calculated, savvy veteran that should lead one of the nation's best offense again in 2018. He's a Heisman Trophy and All-America candidate and the best No. 9 in college football.
NEXT: Best Defunct Logo for Each Big Ten Team
