A year ago around this time, Trace McSorley was preparing to officially begin his coaching career as a member of the Penn State staff. Now, he’s headed to the NFL.

A Penn State source told Lions247 Thursday that McSorley is leaving the program for a position with the Buffalo Bills. Lions247 first heard the news Wednesday night and confirmed it Thursday afternoon. McSorley’s profile was removed from the Penn State football website shortly after we reported this story. 

McSorley was set to begin his second season as the Penn State assistant quarterbacks coach this spring. Former coach James Franklin hired him to the role last year, and new coach Matt Campbell retained McSorley in the same capacity.

McSorley, 30, was poised to work alongside Campbell, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters while tutoring a quarterback group headlined by redshirt senior Rocco Becht.

In joining the Bills, McSorley will be reunited with Joe Brady, who was hired as Buffalo’s new head coach earlier this winter after spending four seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Brady was a graduate assistant for Franklin in 2015 and 2016 where he worked closely with McSorley.

That 2016 season was McSorley’s first as the starter, and he quarterbacked Penn State to a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl appearance.

Read more: Rocco Becht provides injury updates, discusses timeline for Penn State practice debut

McSorley wrapped his career in Happy Valley as one of the greats in recent program history. He threw for 9,899 yards and 77 touchdowns, and he also rushed for 1,697 yards and 30 more touchdowns. McSorley left Penn State as the all-time leader in most passing statistical categories.

The Baltimore Ravens selected McSorley in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders. He appeared in nine games and made one start during his career.

The incoming staff viewed McSorley as a key piece of Campbell’s staff, given his potential in the role and his experience as a former Penn State quarterback. On Wednesday, Becht expressed excitement at being coached by McSorley.

“He’s one of the best quarterbacks to ever play here,” Becht said. “Watching him in high school was super special. … Being here, being in the same room with him has been awesome, the knowledge that he’s able to bring. And I’ve been able to pick his brain a little bit on just what Beaver Stadium brings to the atmosphere around with the fans, how you deal with adversity during the season, and those are conversations that I can’t wait to have with him. Just to have that experience and a guy who has played here in the past in the room is something that I’m looking forward to.”

WATCH: New QB Rocco Becht’s first Penn State press conference

Waters was also keen on working with McSorley and tapping into his knowledge of the game and the program.

“For a guy that’s been here a long time, won a lot of games here and at the highest level and did it the right way, it’s unbelievable for our guys — for me — to learn from him,” Waters said earlier this month. “Like, Man, what does this place mean to you? And then the experiences that you had, I can all draw from that and all from him, and then our quarterbacks, [it] will be invaluable for them.”

McSorley is the second Penn State assistant to be poached by an NFL team since Campbell initially set his staff earlier this winter. Wide receivers coach Noah Pauley was hired to the same role with the Green Bay Packers earlier this month. Campbell replaced him with Kashif Moore, whose hiring was made official Tuesday.

Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@cbsinteractive.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen, Instagram at @bydanieljtgallen and Bluesky at @danieljtgallen.bsky.social.