UNIVERSITY PARK - Having the stability of Saquon Barkley in the backfield will be vital heading into the season for Penn State.

Barkley's role in the offense will take on added significance because the quarterback situation is still unsettled.The Nittany Lions are beginning life without Christian Hackenberg, a three-year starter at the position. Heckenberg was drafted by the New York Jets this past April.Franklin was noncommittal when discussing the time frame for when the quarterback battle between Trace McSorley and Tommy Stevens will be decided."I think obviously every program in the country and every NFL program would love to have a returning starter for the next 20 years. That's not how it works. You'd love to name a starter as early as you possibly can. I think that helps. I don't think it's the end-all, be-all. I really don't."I think Trace [McSorley], like I mentioned before, has done some really nice things. But I think Tommy [Stevens] also has shown a tremendous ability as well. Mentally, Trace was a little bit ahead of Tommy during spring, but Tommy has had the opportunity to close that gap. So I don't think it will be in the first week."McSorley saw action in seven games last season and completed 20 of his 40 pass attempts for 185 yards and two scores. Stevens redshirted in 2015."Obviously Tommy's a little bit taller, Trace is a little bit faster," said first year offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. "But from a skillset perspective, they're incredibly similar."GETTING STARTED … After leaving his post as the head coach at Fordham, Moorhead will look to keep things simple as he settles into his first season as the Nittany Lions' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach."I think the things that we're looking for throughout camp are to build off of the foundation that was established in spring ball," he said. "We talked to the guys about it. We want to come out with the opportunities that we have in camp and prior to the Kent State game (Sept. 3), we just want to see incremental improvements. Come out every day, pick something and get a little bit better at it."UP FOR DEBATE … Concussions continue to dominate many of the discussions surrounding football from Pop Warner to the NFL, with talk of eliminating the kickoff altogether often seen as a way to reduce many safety risks.Despite the ever-changing landscape and rules that dictate how the game is played, Penn State special teams coordinator/running backs coach Charles Huff will continue to prepare his special teams unit the same way he always has."Whatever rules they give us, we'll adjust," Huff said. "I have heard talk of that. I know it's starting in the NFL, adjusting the kickoff. My arms don't reach that high. If they decide that's the direction they want to go, we'll adjust. But right now, we're going to prepare and try to be the best kickoff coverage team in the country."