He's a Pittsburgh Steeler: How Penn State football's Trace McSorley sticks in the NFL

Frank Bodani, York Daily Record

Former Penn State football quarterback Trace McSorley is a Pittsburgh Steeler.

At least for a little while.

The NFL nomad has made the most of finding roster spots ever since leaving the Nittany Lions following the 2018 season.

This time, he finds himself just a couple of hours from where he played college football, leading the Lions to their only Big Ten Championship in 2016 under head coach James Franklin.

Meanwhile, the Penn State quarterback he mentored, Sean Clifford, is Green Bay's top backup as a rookie.

The Steelers signed McSorley to their practice squad on Monday as they miss injured starter Kenny Pickett. McSorley provides Pittsburgh with a third healthy quarterback and could be activated if necessary, starting with Thursday night's game against New England.

Trace McSorley (9) is still living the life of an NFL quarterback since leaving Penn State five years ago. He just signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, just two hours from coach James Franklin and his Nittany Lions.
Trace McSorley (9) is still living the life of an NFL quarterback since leaving Penn State five years ago. He just signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, just two hours from coach James Franklin and his Nittany Lions.

McSorley will join new starter Mitch Trubisky and backup Mason Rudolph immediately following a depressing defeat to the lowly Arizona Cardinals.

McSorley, the former sixth-round NFL Draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, has also spent time with Arizona, New England and Chicago. He's only played in nine games over that span with one start.

He played well in an emergency appearance against the Steelers as a rookie in 2020 − throwing for his only NFL touchdown and converting a fourth down on a 7-yard run.

His only NFL start came last year in Arizona where he lost in overtime to Tom Brady and Tampa Bay. McSorley threw for a career-best 217 yards in the game.

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Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football: How Trace McSorley became a Pittsburgh Steeler

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