Blue White Illustrated

On Sunday mornings before leaving State College, all Erick Hackenberg wants to be is just another parent, dealing with the fact that his firstborn no longer lives at home. When it's time to make the long drive back to Palmyra, Va., his son Christian won't ride along in the backseat, like he did for the previous 18 years. His home is here now. That, alone, is an adjustment for a parent. Never mind that Christian is a five-star freshman who has been the Penn State football team's starting quarterback since the season-opening snap, and that on Saturdays, he plays in front of more than 90,000 fans. With every deep pass he throws and with each polished interview he conducts – ready or not – Christian Hackenberg is rapidly becoming the Nittany Lions' biggest star. HIGH PROFILE The Hackenberg family copes with the upheaval brought on by Christian's quick rise to stardom | Erick likes to grab breakfast with Christian before skipping town. This particular Sunday is full of mixed emotions. The night before, Christian played the best game of his young career, but his Lions lost to UCF, 34-31. "It hurts," he said in the media room afterward. "I feel like I could have done some things better." They drive a mile or so out of town to avoid the Sunday morning bull-rush breakfast lines. The Waffle Shop? Yeah, right. That might have been an option on a recruiting visit last year, or even a few weeks ago. But anymore, quiet is better. So they find a restaurant out on South Atherton Street where they can enjoy an unrushed meal with a few friends and one of Christian's three younger brothers. They talk about pretty much everything except football. These are the moments Erick cherishes. But after finishing their eggs and orange juice, they stand up to leave, and sure enough… "Excuse me, say two guests at the neighboring table. "Think " we could get a picture?" With a smile, Christian of course says yes. Although the pain is still fresh from the loss, he poses

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