He was the savior of an entire program. The first recruit to commit to the uncertainty that was ahead for a historic football program amidst its most tumultuous and trying times in February 2012. He was a five-star commitment as well, something that Penn State fans weren’t used to in recent memory. By the time he arrived on campus prior to the 2013 season, quarterback Christian Hackenberg was already a bit of a legendary figure.
The next three years at Penn State for Hackenberg were up and down, and almost an exact mirror image of the Nittany Lions’ three seasons themselves.