Sean Clifford Commits to Penn State: Nittany Lions Land 2017 4-Star QB

James Franklin and his Penn State staff are building a great foundation for the Nittany Lions' future in the current recruiting cycle, and now they have made the first breakthrough in the class of 2017 with 4-star quarterback Sean Clifford.

The 6'2" Cincinnati native, who is rated as 2017's No. 16 pro-style quarterback, announced his commitment to Penn State on Monday morning via Twitter:

Clifford is the first 2017 commitment for Penn State, which currently has the nation's No. 7 overall class for 2016, according to 247Sports' Composite Team Rankings.

He also had scholarship offers from several Power Five schools, including Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State and West Virginia. Clifford picked up his offer from Penn State after participating in a Nittany Lions camp late last month.

"I really enjoyed [the camp]," Clifford told 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong. "The coaching staff is outstanding, and from an academic standpoint, it's top-notch."

According to Lions247's Sean Fitz, Clifford completed 67 of his 117 passes for 762 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore starter at the massive St. Xavier High School.

"With 1,600 guys at our school, I was definitely surprised about winning the varsity quarterback job," Clifford told NFA Nation in March. "But I think I worked hard enough to become the guy."

Clifford also showed some mobility, recording 217 rushing yards and two additional touchdowns on the ground. At a big program like St. Xavier, he has the ability to rise in the recruiting rankings as he continues to develop as a passer.

"With a year of experience on the varsity, I expect to be better next season," Clifford told NFA Nation. "I’m working hard to make myself the best player I can be. Decision making is something I really need to work on. Making throws that shouldn’t be made is one thing I want to correct."

Clifford's commitment could lead to more good news for the Nittany Lions in the 2017 cycle.

He is teammates at St. Xavier with 4-star offensive guard Matt Bockhorst, who also received a scholarship offer from Penn State during the same camp Clifford attended.

Outside of Clifford, Penn State currently has one other quarterback commitment in 2016 pledge Jake Zembiec, a 3-star New York native who committed to the Nittany Lions late last year.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.