If the Penn State quarterbacks had it their way, they’d already know the answer.
There’d be no more waiting, no more wondering and no more delay.
Joe Paterno and the rest of the coaching staff would name the starter, and Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin and Robert Bolden would know their fates.
But the Nittany Lions’ quarterback competition is anything but settled, and the players continue to count the days until someone will emerge as the starter.
“That’s all Coach Joe,” Newsome said of the decision. “If he wants to call it a minute before the game, then so be it.”
Any quarterback would want to know immediately, Newsome said, but the players trust Paterno will make the right call.
But isn’t the unknown mentally taxing for Paterno’s signal callers?
Judging by the sigh McGloin let out after finishing up addressing reporters at Penn State’s Media Day, he too is tired of waiting around and answering questions about what he brings to the table.
The former walk on said the wait serves as motivation for him and the other two quarterbacks to keep competing until the end.
“I wish it was decided a week ago,” McGloin said during Media Day on Aug. 12. “It does take a lot out of you mentally. You need to stay focused, take it one day at a time. … “Really, you need to be mentally tough right now with what’s going on.”
Though McGloin said he felt a bit of the mental strain from the position battle, roommate cornerback D’Anton Lynn doesn’t think the quarterback’s fatigue shows.
Video games and movies keep the everyday conversation away from the quarterback competition, Lynn said, adding McGloin is the ultimate competitor.
“He’s definitely one of the most competitive people I know,” Lynn said. “Me and him always go back and forth because me and him are both the same and we want to try and win at absolutely everything we do. Even if it’s just a board game.”
While McGloin continues to stay competitive nine days until the home opener, Newsome isn’t exactly one to get too stressed, his father, Kevin Sr., said.
For someone who enjoyed watching the opponent try and fight back nerves ever since he started playing football, Newsome thrives on the pressure.
“He’s just a nice, easy-going personality,” Kevin Sr. said. “He can be in a competition with someone and still, in a way, be kind of helpful. He’s easy to work with, I’ll put it that way.”
Add Bolden to the competition, and the Lions understand why this year’s starting position is taking an extended amount of time to decide.
But whether or not Paterno decides to wait until the week of the game, like he did in 2008 with Daryll Clark and Pat Devlin, the quarterbacks are just worried about taking steps in the right direction.
“We’re all going to be the best that we can become,” Newsome said. “From there, Coach Joe will choose us.”