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QB Christian Hackenberg will be Elite 11 counselor

By Audrey Snyder/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 8 years ago

Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg is no stranger to Nike’s high school showcase event known as the Elite 11. The Nittany Lion junior participated in the event the summer before his senior year of high school and received rave reviews while lining up with the the best quarterbacks in his recruiting class.
Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) throws a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan State in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

This time around Hackenberg will be in a different role. The Elite 11 confirmed to the Post-Gazette that Hackenberg will be one of the program’s counselors for next week’s event. The three-day competition, held July 5-7 at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., tests the high school quarterbacks in all aspects of their game. Physical and mental toughness, situational drills and film study are all evaluated while the players learn from former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer and college and professional athletes that Elite 11 brings in. 

For Hackenberg this means the chance to mentor future Penn State quarterback Jake Zembiec who earned his spot to the Elite 11 after competing last month in the semifinals in Los Angeles. Zembiec, who is verbally committed to Penn State’s 2016 recruiting class, will have a chance to work with some of his future teammates and Penn State recruiting targets later in the week when the premier showcase for all the players, known as The Opening, takes place. 

Last year Ndamukong Suh, Richard Sherman and Tyrann Mathieu were among the guests The Opening brought in to help players through drills while college quarterbacks Sean Mannion, Connor Cook, Everett Golson, Travis Wilson and Bryce Petty served as the Elite 11 counselors. Given Hackenberg’s previous participation in the event, coupled with many pundits pegging him as a future first-round NFL draft pick, the pairing makes sense. 

Hackenberg is coming off a shaky sophomore season where an inexperienced offensive line played a big role in the offense’s struggles while he was sacked 44 times and threw 12 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. The former five-star prospect will have more experienced receivers around him this year and the offensive line with more than a year together needs to find a replacement for left tackle Donovan Smith. 

There will be plenty of Penn State ties out in Oregon next week that extend beyond Hackenberg and Zembiec. Woodland Hills running back and 2016 Penn State verbal commit Miles Sanders will participate in The Opening along with fellow classmates Shane Simmons and LaVert Hill. Penn State recruiting targets Oluwole Betiku, who is LaVar Arrington’s adopted son, will be on hand and so will receiver target Trevon Diggs and running back D’Andre Swift. Central Catholic standout cornerback Damar Hamlin will be in attendance as well.

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @audsnyder4