Blue White Illustrated

Four juniors leave Nittany Lions in January Every year, college football's better programs deal with questions like these, questions about whether their high- profile juniors will stick around for one more season. Sometimes the answers are very much in doubt. And sometimes, well, they're not. Penn State recently lost four juniors who who had been major contributors for some or all of their time with the program. Here's a look at how their de- cisions played out: CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG When Penn State's veteran quarterback an- nounced that he would forgo his final season of college eligibility to enter the NFL Draft, the only surprise was the timing. Coach James Franklin had indi- cated in December that Penn State would have a role in planning the an- nouncement, presumably to maximize media coverage and also to avoid being preempted by a leak on social media. But a few minutes into the interview session following the TaxSlayer Bowl, a game he wasn't able to finish due to a shoulder injury, Hackenberg preempted everyone by revealing that he would be leaving. "Right now I am going to declare for the draft," Hackenberg said to a scrum of reporters. "I want to thank Coach [Bill] O'Brien for bringing me here and his staff. There are a lot of really good peo- ple on that staff. Tough to say, but I think without him, I wouldn't have been here. He's what this place is all about. I want to thank the fans for always being there, challenging me at times, making me get better. I think the fans and the alumni and the letter- men mean so much to this place. It's a really special place. It's tough at times, but they bleed blue and white, and so do we. "I want to thank Coach [Ricky] Rahne and Coach [John] Donovan. Both of those guys stuck by me the entire way, fought for me, had my back. The strength staff [including Dwight Galt Sr. and Dwight Galt Jr.] – all those guys. They were awe- some to work with, fun to be around. And then lastly, Tim Bream, Jevin Stone – two guys I've spent a lot of time with in my years here. They both are really special to me, and then Tony Mancuso [of PSU's Sports Information staff] is another guy I've spent a lot of time with, who's meant a lot to me. It's been an awesome ride, and tough the way it ended. But I bleed blue and white, and this place means the world to me." Hackenberg's failure to thank Franklin gave rise to a short-lived controversy, as Penn State fans debated on message boards and talk shows whether it was an ac- cidental or intentional slight. Whatever the reason, Hackenberg said he and his family had already decided upon his future before the TaxSlayer Bowl. In his final game at Penn State, he completed 8 of 14 passes for 139 yards and an interception. In the second quarter, during a 5-yard scramble, Hackenberg was dragged to the ground, landing on his right shoulder. Rising slowly, he favored the shoulder un- til exiting a few plays later. Franklin called the injury a sprained shoulder joint, and Hackenberg said he knew it wasn't "a ca- reer-ender or anything like that." Even though he's skipping his final sea- son, Hackenberg's place in Penn State history is secure, both on and off the field. Choosing to enroll at Penn State during the program's most tumultuous period, Hackenberg went on to set school records for passing yardage (8,457), at- tempts (1,235), completions (693) and touchdown passes (48). He started each of the 38 career games in which he played as a Nittany Lion and won Big Ten Fresh- BIG LOSS Hacken- berg completed 8 of 14 passes for 139 yards before being knocked out of the Lions' bowl game with a shoul- der injury. Photo by Steve Manuel

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