Well, with Bill O'Brien headed down to Texas to take the Texan HC position, it seems like the B1G rookie of the year Christian Hackenberg is on the fence as to if he's going to stay at PSU.
I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine and he posed this interesting scenario.
CH transfers to VT, redshirts. Leal starts next year. CH is in the mix next spring for the role of starting qb.
I rejected it at first ( what with Leal being the starter, having sui many other options battle it out [Ford]'how HC would fit into our OCs system... and numerous other things)
But to say that it isn't the slightest bit intriguing (to me) is a lie.
What do you guys think?
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There are a lot of intriguing what-ifs one can go through each season, but to me it would be a mistake. Why jump into a program that has just recruited two highly-touted QBs? Seems like a big risk in terms of playing time when he's got the inside track on a starting job at a program like PSU (sanctions aside, its tradition is great).
Ford and Durdin don't compare to Hackenberg. He can go anywhere in the country.
Sure, but it seems to me the smarter idea is to continue playing and showcasing his talent rather than being forced to sit out a year, then enter the mix of someone else's system.
Sure, that's true. But just be clear, the 5* Hackenberg isn't worried about our 3* QBs.
I would take him in a second. He's a beast.
No way in hell he comes to Blacksburg. He grew up here and I believe a big reason he turned down VT is because he wanted to get out of the NRV.
Not doubting you, but it seems kinda ironic.
Leave NRV to go to.....University Park?
Why not go Miami, or LA, or someplace dramatically off-the-chart different?
agreed. Wow...If he were to transfer to VT and be able to play, it would immediately change things. He is a gamer and I think he would bring our level of RB, TE, and WR up. That type of talent would really show the lack of true QB play we have seen. He would fit what Loeffler wants to do like a glove.
With someone like him along with the in coming spring additions and hopefully our prep school guys we could be in great shape next year.
Dreaming aside: I hope Leal can get his barrings or Ford step up and play with a chip on his shoulder.
There was an article about a month or so ago focusing on Hackenbergs decision to stay committed to PSU as the whole Sandusky thing was being resolved, along with sanctions and what not.
I would take him in a heartbeat, but I would say it is extremely unlikely he would leave there now even with O'Brien going
You'd have him redshirt even with a year of experience under his belt? I personally don't want to spend another year with a senior QB at the helm. Even being a senior, he obviously has a lot of game-time decisions he needs to develop, and he only has a year to do so. I'd rather have a freshman starter like Aaron Murray and have him be a veteran decision maker by his senior year. Let him grow with the guys we believe are going to take us all the way in the special 2016 year.
He would be required by the NCAA to sit out a year
Haha right, I was just making sure you all were paying attention....
Turkey leg for the lolz
If he was really interested in transferring, he should just do what everyone else does and go to Wisconsin
I get the joke and your point, but is it true that the NCAA can block transfers between schools in the same conference? I thought I remembered reading/hearing that somewhere.
Not sure if the NCAA can, but the school usually works in stipulations in the scholarship agreement that in-conference transfers are off-limits. I think the NCAA can overrule in case of hardship (family circumstances, usually). Not 100% sure, but that's my recollection.
I think this is right. The NCAA doesn't have the authority to deny a transfer, but the schools can place restrictions on where a player can go (in-division is usually out, in-conference is usually out, and future opponents are usually out). Some schools aren't that strict on it, though, as I seem to remember Beamer allowing a safety of ours to transfer to GT because he had legit family health issues that meant he really needed to be closer to home, which was outside Atlanta. Forget the kid's name, though.
Not only can schools place restrictions, they can also refuse to release the student from their scholarship and block any school they choose which can also include schools that were formerly recruiting the student before they accepted the scholarship
Hackenberg is great. But I'll roll the dice with Ford et al. Hackenberg already left the state to come up here, so while he'd be developed already I don't like the idea of taking a free agent. Nothing against Hackenberg, of course.
VT didn't offer him out of high school. If the options are staying in state by going to UVA or leaving the state, what would someone with intelligence do?
Haha, I thought we offered him. Great point, though.
I really don't see any way he transfers from PSU.....like any
This is a kid who went to a program knowing he would never play in a bowl game his entire college career. Do you think a coaching change is going to push him over the edge?
Absolutely. He went to Penn State because he felt Bill O'Brien is be the best possible coach to prepare him for a career in the NFL (O'Brien was the OC for the Patriots before he took the PSU job). Now that he's gone, it's quite possible that he would be interested in leaving.
I bet BOB told him after he took the job that he would do everything he could to take him in the draft when CHack comes out... just spitballin here...
Agreed.
Hackenberg: "This guy that's recruiting me coached Tom Brady and coached under Bill Belichick"
Also Hackenberg: "I accept."
He was getting a great QB education up here but that ship may have sailed. He should seriously consider Duke.