2023 SEASON: Appeared in two games and was active but did not play in the other 15 contests...Completed his lone passing attempt for 37 yards…Played in one postseason contest…At Chicago (Sept. 10): Made his NFL debut, taking over at quarterback for Jordan Love for the final series (five snaps) with under three minutes remaining in the game and the Packers leading, 38-20…At Minnesota (Dec. 31): Took over at QB for Love for the final series with the Packers leading, 33-10, and played the final eight snaps. Found WR Bo Melton for a 37-yard completion to the Minnesota 30 on his first career passing attempt before kneeling to run out the clock on the final two snaps…At Dallas (NFC Wild Card, Jan. 14): Appeared on three snaps in his NFL postseason debut, taking over for Love on one series in the fourth quarter with the Packers holding a 48-24 lead…2023 Draft: Selected by the Packers with the first of two picks in the fifth round (No. 149 overall), the 11th quarterback drafted in 2023. Was the highest-drafted Penn State QB since Christian Hackenberg was selected by the N.Y. Jets in 2016 (second round, No. 51 overall) and became just the third Nittany Lion QB to be drafted since 2000.
COLLEGE: Played in 51 games with 46 starts in five seasons (2018-22) and finished as Penn State's all-time leader in completion percentage (61.4), completions (833), passing yards (10,661), total yards (11,734), passing touchdowns (86), pass attempts (1,356) and wins as a starting quarterback (32)…Became only the second four-time captain in school history (LB Jonathan Sutherland)…Is one of two Nittany Lions to reach 11,000 yards of total offense (11,758) and is the only QB in school history to eclipse 10,000 passing yards…Finished his career ranked No. 3 in school history in passing efficiency (143.8) and 300-yard games (eight), No. 2 in TDs responsible for (100) and 200-yard passing games (27) and tied for No. 6 in yards per passing attempt (7.9)…Among Penn State QBs, ranks No. 3 all-time in rushing yardage (1,073) and No. 4 in rushing TDs (15)…Finished No. 4 in Big Ten history in career TD passes, No. 5 in passing yards and No. 7 in both completions and attempts…Earned degrees in advertising/public relations and journalism with a minor in psychology…2022: Started all 13 games, completing 226 of 351 passes (64.4 pct.) for 2,822 yards and 24 TDs with seven INTs…Rushed for 176 yards and five TDs on 69 carries (2.6 avg.) and recorded two receptions for 24 yards (12.0 avg.)…Earned All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches and media…Finished No. 3 for a single season in school history in completion percentage (64.4), tied for No. 4 in passing TDs, No. 5 in both passing efficiency (150.5) and TDs responsible for (29), No. 9 in total yards (2,998) and No. 8 in both completions (226) and passing yards (2,822)…Earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition and was a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award…Completed 20 of 37 passes (54.1 pct.) for 282 yards and a career-high-tying four TDs along with a rushing TD at Purdue (Sept. 1), earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors…Was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after completing 23 of 31 passes (74.2 pct.) for 295 yards and four TDs vs. Minnesota (Oct. 22), including three TD passes of 20-plus yards…Completed 16 of 21 passes (76.2 pct.) for 279 yards and two TDs to earn Rose Bowl Game Offensive MVP honors vs. Utah (Jan. 2), highlighted by a season-long 88-yard TD pass to WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith…2021: Started all 13 games and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches and media…Connected on 261 of 428 passes (61.0 pct.) for 3,107 yards and 21 TDs with eight INTs…Posted 163 rushing yards and two TDs on 99 carries (1.6 avg.)…Finished No. 4 in the Big Ten in completions per game (20.1; No. 30 nationally), No. 5 in both passing TDs (No. 36 nationally) and passing yards (No. 31 nationally) and No. 6 in total offense per game (251.5)…Became the first QB in school history to have three games with 250 passing yards and three passing TDs in two different seasons (four games in 2021 and three games in 2019)…His 3,107 yards passing and 261 completions ranked No. 4 in school single-season history and his 61.0 completion percentage ranked No. 5…Registered eight 200-yard passing games, tied for No. 6 in school annals…Was a member of the 2021 National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete Class…Selected to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team, which recognizes college football athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and their "good works" off the field...Earned a spot on the Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award first team…Selected as Penn State's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree...Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors...Earned the team's Public Service Award and Lion's Pride Outstanding Senior Player Award…Completed 28 of 32 passes (87.5 pct.) for 280 yards and two TDs vs. Auburn (Sept. 18) and was named to the Manning Award Stars of the Week and Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 Lists…His 87.5 completion percentage was the highest single-game mark by a Penn State QB in the last 25 years…Named the Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week and was the coaching staff's Offensive Player of the Week after completing 19 of 26 passes (73.1 pct.) for a career-high 401 yards and a career-high-tying four TDs vs. Villanova (Sept. 25), becoming the first PSU quarterback to throw for 400 yards and four TDs in a game...Completed a career-high 38 passes on 52 attempts (67.3 pct) for 361 yards and a TD at Ohio State (Oct. 30), tying QB Matt McGloin (vs. Northwestern, 2012) for the most completions in a single game in program history…2020: Saw action in nine games with eight starts and completed 152 of 251 passes (61.0 pct.) for 1,883 yards (7.5 avg.) and 16 TDs with nine INTs…Also carried the ball 99 times for 335 yards (3.4 avg.) and three TDs…Finished No. 2 in the Big Ten in passing yardage, passing TDs and attempts (251) and was No. 3 in passing efficiency (137.45)...Ranked No. 2 in the conference with 2,218 yards of total offense…Led the Big Ten in passing plays of 70-plus yards (two, t-No. 7 nationally) and 60-plus yards (four, t-No. 6)…Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and the team's Public Service Award…Completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6 pct.) for 238 yards and three TDs and rushed for a career-high 119 yards on 17 carries (7.0 avg.) at Indiana (Oct. 24), his first career 100-yard rushing game…Completed 16 of 22 passes (72.7 pct.) for 285 yards and two TDs vs. Illinois (Dec. 19), connecting with WR Jahan Dotson on a pair of 70-plus-yard TDs (75, 70), the first time in program history the Nittany Lions registered two passing plays of 70-plus yards in the same game…2019: Started all 12 games and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches and media and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection…Ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten in passing TDs (23), yards per completion (14.04) and yards per pass attempt (8.32) and No. 4 in passing efficiency (148.54) and total yards per game (254.7)…Selected as the Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week after completing 26 of 31 passes (83.9 pct.) for 398 yards and three TDs at Maryland (Sept. 27) along with 54 rushing yards and a TD on seven carries (7.7 avg.) to set a career high with 452 yards of total offense…Threw for 287 yards in the first half, breaking the school record held by QB Trace McSorley (258; Georgia State, 2017)…2018: Appeared in four games as a redshirt freshman, completing 5 of 7 passes (71.4 pct.) for 195 yards (27.9 avg.) and two TDs…Completed the first five passes of his career…Was an Academic All-Big Ten selection…Completed all three of his passes for 117 yards vs. Kent State (Sept. 15), including a career-long 95-yard TD pass to WR Daniel George in the fourth quarter.
PERSONAL: Given name Sean Burke Clifford…Born in Barrington, Ill. …His younger brother, Liam, plays wide receiver at Penn State…His father, John, played football and baseball at the University of Dubuque…Along with Liam, founded Limitless NIL, which seeks to help student-athletes build cutting-edge brands and business relationships designed for the world of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness)…High school: Was the first player to be a two-time team captain at St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), leading the team to the Division I state title as a senior in 2016 with a double-overtime win over St. Ignatius…Finished his career ranked No. 4 in school history with 4,004 career passing yards and set the school records for QBs with 1,110 rushing yards and 20 rushing TDs…Guided the school to three consecutive Greater Catholic League South titles in three seasons as the starting QB...Earned all-city and all-district honors and was named team MVP as a senior, completing 123 of 216 passes (56.2 pct.) for 1,426 yards and nine TDs while adding 571 yards and 12 TDs on 152 carries (3.8 avg.)…Earned first-team all-state recognition as a senior from MaxPreps/JJ Huddle…Was invited to the Under Armour All-American Game and the Army All-American Game...Attended the 2017 Under Armour Game, but was unable to play due to injury...Was a 2016 Elite 11 Finalist and was named Most Accurate Passer at Elite 11 competition...Accounted for 1,746 passing yards, 225 rushing yards and 18 total TDs (12 passing, six rushing) as a junior in 2015...Accumulated 832 passing yards, 314 rushing yards and 11 total TDs (nine passing, two rushing) as a sophomore in 2014...Also lettered in basketball as a freshman and track & field as a junior…Community involvement: Along with his brother, Liam, hosted the Clifford X Factor Camp in Cincinnati in June 2024, a free one-day youth football camp...Spoke at a fundraiser and took pictures with kids at an event for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Green Bay in October 2023...Served as Penn State Football's leadership liaison for volunteer activities in 2021, leading the team and encouraging his teammates to participate in volunteer activities throughout the community…Participated in the Reading Rewards Program, visiting elementary schools on a regular basis to read stories to classes and encourage children to read…Helped raise money each year for the Life for Life event, a fundraiser for kidney cancer treatment and research…Participated in TeamIMPACT, a program that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams.
