Penn State’s quarterbacks sat isolated on a bench in the corner of Beaver Stadium’s north end zone last Thursday at the player availability portion of the Nittany Lions’ media day. Naturally, reporters, cameras and recorders were pointed squarely at Christian Hackenberg, who had just wrapped up a 15-minute press conference in the media room a few moments earlier.

McSorley spent last season with the one's and two's instead of the scout team.

That was just part of the routine for redshirt freshman Trace McSorley, who sat a safe distance away chatting with reserve walk-on Billy Fessler, each soaking in their first media day festivities.

McSorley has spent the last year as the guy behind Hackenberg, developing in the shadows of one of the most talented passers in the country. It’s been a learning experience that has far surpassed X’s and O’s.

“From my view, the most impressive thing is how he handled last year,” McSorley said of Hackenberg’s up and down sophomore campaign, which paralleled the Nittany Lions’ 7-6 record in 2014. “He got a lot of criticism, took a lot of hits, but he stuck through it and how he handled it, he’s tough. How he responded, especially how he bounced back in that bowl game, he played fantastic.

“For him to do that, I think it was a big step for him and a big step for our offense as a whole. How he led everyone through that is probably the most impressive thing that I’ve seen him do.”

Hackenberg’s durability through a season that saw him taken down for 44 sacks and countless other hits, gave McSorley a chance to learn on the side without burning a year of eligibility in the process. Entering his second camp as the clear backup, he knows what to expect this time around.

“I feel like I’m night and day in terms of knowing the offense going into camp this year,” he said. “I’m confident this year, last year I was nervous not really knowing what to expect. Now I know the offense, I know what to expect and I know my abilities and how I stack up with these guys.”

McSorley quickly asserted himself as the No. 2 quarterback in camp a year ago, and instead of spending his redshirt season going through the motions of the opposing team that week on the scout team, he got valuable reps with the one’s and two’s all season long. Being the next man up provided him with more time to spend in the playbook and a chance to get familiar with the Nittany Lions’ frontline receivers.

“Getting the reps was the biggest thing. I’m in there running our offense with our guys, I’m learning behind Christian, seeing what he’s doing and doing the same set of plays after that,” he said. “I think that was huge for me to have the opportunity and pick up those reps.

“It’s huge for me to have that kind of chemistry with those guys. Having that down with guys like DaeSean [Hamilton], Geno [Lewis], Chris [Godwin], Saeed [Blacknall] and all those guys. It’s a big benefactor for me. If I do get the opportunity to get into the game or something like that, having that chemistry and timing with those guys is going to be huge.”

At 6-foot, 196-pounds, the redshirt freshman provides a bit of a different look than Hackenberg, a 6-foot-4-inch prototypical NFL signal-caller. McSorley admitted while their styles may differ, the Nittany Lions’ offense doesn’t alter all that much when he’s asked to take reps.

“The only thing that I can think of is that I can do a little bit more with my legs,” he said. “They’re going to kind of call plays to cater to who they’ve got back there and what he does best. But the offense is going to be what it is. I think that I’ve been able to make some plays with my legs when I can. I’ve always considered myself a quarterback that can run, not a running quarterback.”

At the high school level, McSorley used a ‘whatever it takes’ mindset to bring home three Virginia Division 4 state titles in his four years as a starter. He amassed over 12,000 yards of total offense in his high school career and put up a 55-5 record as Briar Woods’ starting quarterback.

An eventual two-year captain for the Falcons, McSorley quickly won over teammates as a freshman starter. He credits his father for instilling those natural leadership skills in him at an early age. He hopes that will benefit him when Hackenberg’s time in Happy Valley is over.

“I think guys buy in and follow guys that they truly believe in. Back when I was younger in high school, I was able to do that and prove it and back it up. I feel like it’s the same thing here, proving to guys that I can make the right Mike point, whatever it may be. I can lead this team and with the role that I’m in now, I’m going to do that to the best of my ability and provide this team with a player that can be beneficial for us.”