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If his senior year highlights are any indication, quarterback prospect Christian Hackenberg has serious potential to help Penn State's deep passing game in 2013 and beyond.
The recruiting-focused website Lions247.com released the following video featuring the Penn State commit, and his arm strength really jumps out from the very beginning.
That's a pretty mean deep ball, which is probably the thing Penn State missed the most in Matt McGloin. Granted, McGloin made most of the throws he was supposed to make in racking up 3,271 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2012. But on those long shots that require almost perfect throws, or those tight spaces that require well-placed rockets, McGloin simply didn't have the arm strength to connect consistently.
The video also shows Hackenberg to be a decent scrambler who can make a play with his feet if he has to.
Hackenberg, who 247 rates a five-star recruit and No. 2 pro-style quarterback prospect in his class, is expected to compete for the starting job with rising sophomore signal-caller Steven Bench, who saw limited playing time in place of McGloin this season.
Penn State has also given a scholarship offer to junior college quarterback Jake Waters. If he chooses the Nittany Lions, he might be in the mix for some playing time as well.