A decade ago, Christian Hackenberg was preparing for his second season as Penn State’s starting quarterback.
Now the 29-year-old is gearing up for a different assignment.
Hackenberg will be the keynote speaker at PennLive’s High School Sports Awards on May 22.
The event, scheduled for 5-7 p.m. at the Penn Harris Hotel, is sponsored by Renewal by Andersen of Central PA and UPMC.
Tickets for the event are available now.
Hackenberg, a five-star signee in Bill O’Brien’s 2013 recruiting class, said he is thrilled to have the opportunity to speak to some of the top young athletes in central Pa.
“In anything I do, it’s about wanting to get the right message across,” Hackenberg recently told PennLive.
“When I got this opportunity, I was excited. I just want to make sure I convey something that’s valuable for them.”
Penn State fans young and old are familiar with Hackenberg’s time in State College.
Hackenberg and many of his 2013 classmates, including Cedar Cliff tight end Adam Breneman, chose to stay at Penn State with the program reeling from heavy sanctions related to the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
The QB played for O’Brien in 2013 and spent two years with James Franklin before leaving school early. He was picked in the second round of 2016 NFL draft by the New York Jets.
Hackenberg made sure Franklin’s Penn State coaching debut was a memorable one, throwing for 454 yards in the Lions’ 26-24 victory over Central Florida at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 30, 2014.
PSU went 21-17 during Hackenberg’s time with the Lions and the quarterback still follows his school closely.
He is very involved with State Media (@StateMediaPSU), where he hosts “The Pocket” podcast with fellow former Penn Stater Brandon Bell. Hackenberg and his wife Tatum, a former Penn State lacrosse player, reside in New Jersey, where they are kept on their toes by their young son, Hayes.
“My son’s turning 1 on the 14th (of April) and that’s been coming at me fast but everything’s good, man,” Hackenberg said.
He joked: “Unfortunately, I am behind enemy lines in New Jersey. My wife’s a Jersey girl. We’re down in South Jersey and I love it.
“It’s really good duck hunting around here. I get my fill with that during the fall.”
Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson celebrates with quarterback Christian Hackenberg following the 23-17 win over Syracuse. Joe Hermitt, PennLive.comTHE PATRIOT-NEWS
Hackenberg is No. 3 on Penn State’s all-time total offense list with 8,215 yards, behind Trace McSorley (11,596) and Sean Clifford (11,734).
Impressive numbers. But Hackenberg’s time at Penn State was about more than numbers. To many Lions fans, Hackenberg will be remembered because he opted to remain at Penn State during the most difficult time in the program’s history.
“Once you get to grips and get to peace with everything … you look at it and it was like, ‘yeah, it was pretty sweet’,” Hackenberg said.
“Now just getting involved more up there (at Penn State), that great,” added Hackenberg, when asked about interacting with Penn State fans.
“I am really appreciative of it. Just seeing the growth (at Penn State) and still having the urge and kind of the urging from people to stay involved, that’s cool, too.”
And what will Hackenberg’s message be at the PennLive event? He is not tipping his hand.
“I’m a big believer in impacting others, whatever you’re doing, however you’re doing it, even in small ways,” Hackenberg said.
“I get impacted fairly easily by folks who I am surrounded by.
“I believe that’s a really important thing to do in life, so when you’ve had experiences that not a lot of people have and a very small group of people will have the opportunity, too, and when you specifically get to target those guys and talk to them, it’s satisfying for me and it’s great to follow along with those guys.”