It’s no secret that Christian Hackenberg has an NFL future.
It’s also no secret that the chances are very high that he will have to decide after the 2015-16 season whether he will return to Penn State or enter the draft.
But to say James Franklin isn’t interested in talking about the subject would be an understatement.
Unfortunately, as Franklin makes his 12 Coaches Caravan stops over the next three weeks he will be bombarded with questions about Hackenberg’s future. While the ever-charismatic coach might answer those inquires from deep-pocketed donors and alumni with a smile, his patience for such talk with the media is increasingly becoming tested.
“You guys are unbelievable,” Franklin said laughing but not without a hint of irritation. “Can’t you just ask me about how do you develop the other quarterbacks on our roster? Do you have to lead with that? You guys are relentless.”
In his defense it was the second straight question about Hackenberg — the second straight after he deftly parried away any opportunity to get a glimpse into how the program is handling Hackenberg’s inevitable departure.
His answer is ultimately unimportant. Penn State will try and prepare two quarterbacks this season because that’s how football teams operate. They will try and win games by a wide margin so backups can get experience. They will practice hard and hope for the best. There is no easy way to have everyone ready to start. There isn’t enough time and even if there was it likely wouldn’t be used preparing quarterbacks for a year or two down the road.
There are simply bigger fish to fry right now.
But only two stops into the caravan and not even a game into the season, the biggest question mark of the year is front and center. Penn State will probably cruise to a middle of the conference finish with a few more wins than last season. Barring an unexpected collapse or unexpected success, the biggest storyline has already out there. What is next for Christian Hackenberg?
As far as Franklin knows, Temple, Penn State’s season opening opponent, is all that is next for anyone in the program.
“You know what’s coming, correct? As Bill Belichick once said… Temple, Temple, Temple,” Franklin said Tuesday before a Coaches Caravan stop in Lancaster. “We’re talking about Temple. I’m not even going to get into discussions about next year’s draft which is a long ways away. We’re focused on making sure these guys have a great experience academically, making sure they finish up strong this semester and getting ready for Temple.”
”To have a conversation with you right now about next year’s draft I think is ridiculous. I also think it’s unfair and I think it’s unrealistic when people talk about guys that are supposed to be this or supposed to be that before they’ve done any real in-depth research on guys. I’ll leave it at that. We’re excited about playing Temple.“
It might be ridiculous. But that doesn’t mean people will stop asking.
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