Anyone who played alongside Daryll Clark, rooted for him or covered him in the media knows how much Penn State football means to the quarterback. Some NFL-bound players never look back after playing their last collegiate game, but Clark has a vested interest in what happens in Happy Valley.
Clark has exhausted his eligibility with the Nittany Lions, and his old job will be in the spotlight all the way until Sept. 4 as four young players -- Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin, Paul Jones and Robert Bolden -- compete for the starting spot. Last year, Clark spent time mentoring Newsome, who enrolled early and served as the backup quarterback as a true freshman.
And even as Clark prepares for a potential NFL career, he's keeping close tabs on what happening at Penn State. Very close tabs, in fact, as I found out after talking with Lions quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno this week.
"He's actually living in my basement right now while he's working out," Paterno said with a laugh. "So he's around quite a bit."
Clark, who participated in Penn State's pro day last week, was a fixture during Penn State's winter workouts. Spring practice starts Friday, and he's almost as excited as Paterno to watch the Nittany Lions' young signal-callers.
Knowing Clark, he'll probably pass along a few tips during workouts.
Paterno said Clark moved in before Penn State's pro day and will stay "until he finds out what happens on draft day."
"I haven't made him babysit yet," said Paterno, a father of five, "but that may happen."