Richard Thomas "Trace" McSorley III (born August 23, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent.

[2] In the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs, after starter Christian Hackenberg went out with an injury, McSorley was brought in with Penn State down 24–3.

[6] Later in the season when the Nittany Lions played Minnesota, McSorley put up career high yardage numbers when he threw for 335 yards in a 29–26 OT win.

[11] On November 1, 2016, Penn State was named #12 in the first official College Football Playoff rankings of the season.

[12] On November 26, against rival Michigan State, McSorley threw for a career-high 376 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

He went 17 of 23 with a completion percentage of 73%, and led Penn State to the 45–12 win, earning a berth to the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin.

[15] With a third quarter completion to DaeSean Hamilton, McSorley broke the Penn State single-season record for passing yards.

The sophomore started the night fourth on the single-season list, but passed Christian Hackenberg, Daryll Clark and Matt McGloin’s to retain the top spot.

McSorley finished the game with 384 yards, 22 of 31 passing, and four touchdowns in an MVP, Big Ten Championship winning performance.

[17] On December 5, 2016, it was revealed that McSorley was on multiple Heisman ballots, some even as high as two, just behind Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.

[21] He helped lead the team to a remarkable 7–0 start (with a 3–0 mark in conference play), outscoring opponents by a combined 213 points over that span.

[22] Bolstered by that strong start, the Lions were ranked #2 in the country coming into a rivalry match at #6 Ohio State.

However, a 19-point fourth quarter by the Buckeyes propelled them to a 39–38 comeback win, ending a potential perfect season for the Nittany Lions.

However, after a 3 and a half hour delay due to weather the Nittany Lions were upset by the Spartans on a game winning field goal 27–24.

The team finished the regular season 3–0 and McSorley threw for 776 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions in his final three contests.

[31][32] After a victory over Iowa and a loss to Michigan, he helped lead the Nittany Lions to three consecutive wins over Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Maryland to close out the regular season.

NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that some teams asked McSorley to perform workouts with defensive backs, which he declined.

[48][49] McSorley was the third-string quarterback behind Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III and made his debut in Week 17 of the 2019 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

However, he suffered a left knee sprain on a quarterback draw and had to be pulled from the game in favor of a recovered Jackson.

[57] McSorley was placed on injured reserve the following day, causing him to miss the remainder of the regular season.

[81] He married Kasey Morano, his longtime girlfriend whom he met at Penn State, on March 25, 2023, in Philadelphia.