Quarterback Jake Zembiec's football career comes to a close
As Penn State’s 2018 football season begins to ramp up, the career for one quarterback is coming to its conclusion.
Jake Zembiec, who had been listed as a redshirt sophomore on Penn State’s official roster, announced on Twitter Tuesday night that his days as a Nittany Lion football player have come to an end. Citing “an ongoing injury,” Zembiec now steps away from the field but will remain with the program in an another, undefined role.
When Penn State opened its practice to reporters Saturday, Zembiec was present but not wearing pads. Instead, he wore shorts and a t-shirt and stood along the sideline. Zembiec had never taken a game-time snap for the Nittany Lions, although he most recently appeared in the Blue-White Game this past April. Then, he threw for 39 yards and a touchdown on six of 12 passing and ran for another 36 yards.
A native of Rochester, N.Y., Zembiec joined PSU as an early enrollee in the Class of 2016. A four-year letter-winner for Aquinas Institute, he was rated with four stars by Rivals.com after leading the Little Irish to a pair of New York State Class AA State Championships, one as a sophomore and then another as a senior. He was considered New York’s best player by Rivals the 2016 class and 10th-best pro-style QB in the country. He also won Gatorade Player of the Year honors for New York.
Remaining on Penn State’s roster as scholarship quarterbacks include starter Trace McSorley and key backup Tommy Stevens. Former four-star recruit Sean Clifford is entering his freshman season of eligibility after a redshirt year in which he quickly passed Zembiec as the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart.
Penn State also welcomed three-star Will Levis to campus in May and is poised to sign a pair of four-star QBs in the Class of 2019. Penn State has earned verbal commitments from Taquan Roberson of New Jersey and Michael Johnson Jr. of Oregon.
