Christian Hackenberg addresses questions about future at Penn State

For 19 seniors, this Saturday’s game against No. 14 Michigan will be their last at Beaver Stadium.

But will the same be true for junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg?

Hackenberg, who opened Penn State’s season with a request for no NFL-related questions after offseason buzz that lauded him as the potential No. 1 pick in next year’s draft surrounded him, addressed whether he’s thought about the upcoming game being the last at home in his collegiate career.

“Not really. I’m just focusing on it one week at a time, doing what I need to do to make sure I’m the most prepared I can,” he said. “Right now it is about these seniors and playing as well as I can and make sure that as a team we’re really rolling and doing what we need to do.”

Despite being a year or two younger than those who will be leaving the program at the end of the season, Hackenberg has shouldered all the responsibility expected of a senior starter during his time thus far at Penn State, as both a quarterback and a captain.

When head coach James Franklin and his staff came to town two years ago, Hackenberg had to lead his teammates while still learning a new system himself, as a sophomore.

“I think last year was interesting because he was kind of forced into that situation because of just the dynamics of our team,” said Franklin on Tuesday. “And I think he handled it really well. I remember early on in the season, him kind of stepping into the huddle as a true sophomore and kind of everybody looking at him to make the play or provide the leadership or the temperament that the team needed at the time.”

Hackenberg has had an extremely efficient year, helping guide Penn State to a 7-3 record thus far with 1,992 yards and 13 touchdowns, with only three interceptions just a season removed from a 15-interception performance. He has also taken 76 sacks in two seasons at Penn State, and became the school’s career passing leader this year with 7,924 yards on a record 650 completions, and set school records with twenty 200-yard passing games and nine 300-yard passing games.

“This year, he’s got a lot...on his shoulders, but now he’s been in that position before,” said Franklin. “So I think he’s grown probably as much as any player in the country in terms of leadership, in terms of adversity, in terms of all the things that he’s been through in a very, very short period of time and how he’s handled it.”

Before Saturday’s noon kickoff, the quarterback will watch his friends and teammates, many with whom he’s developed close relationships, be honored on the field.

“They took me under their wing, and it meant a lot to me to learn from them in terms of how they handled the situations and what they’ve been dealt,” he said. “They deserve to be sent out on a high note. They deserve to be sent out the right way.”

But will he go out with them?

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Christian Hackenberg addresses questions about future at Penn State."