Penn State has named its starting quarterback for the 2016 season.



Head coach James Franklin announced on Wednesday afternoon that redshirt sophomore Trace McSorley will take the first snap when the Lions open up their schedule on Sept. 3 against Kent State at Beaver Stadium.



"I know lot of people thought that decision was made in spring ball. It wasn't," Franklin said.



As for what put McSorley ahead, the head coach said:



"He's been the backup quarterback for two years. He has game experience. There's value in that."



The announcement serves as confirmation of long expected news as McSorley and redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens have been battling all year, with McSorley seemingly always ahead.



At Penn State media day back in the first week of August, Franklin foreshadowed that a decision could come either two weeks before the season opener or during game prep for the Flashes, so the timeline makes sense.



A Virginia native, McSorley was the backup to now New York Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg a year ago, and he played the second half of the TaxSlayer Bowl after Hackenberg was hurt. McSorley finished 14 of 27 for 142 yards and two touchdowns, an effort that nearly led the Lions back to beat Georgia.



Franklin has said since spring practice that there was a "gap" between McSorley and Stevens, namely because of the former's experience and the fact that he seemed to have a better grasp of new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead's playbook. Stevens has improved, according to the head coach, but not enough to win the job.



It will not be surprising to see Stevens, an Indiana native, on the field against KSU, though, as the Lions might want to give Week 2 opponent Pittsburgh something extra to think about. McSorley and Stevens have similar skillsets, with the biggest difference coming in size; McSorley is 6-foot, 201 pounds, while Stevens stands 6-foot-4, 215-pounds.



Stevens will enter the season as the backup, with true freshman Jake Zembiec slotted at No. 3. He is expected to redshirt this fall, barring injuries ahead of him.