5 Reasons Why Christian Hackenberg Made the Correct Decision To Forego His Senior Season

5. Offensive Line Woes

It's no secret the Nittany Lions' offensive line has failed to keep Christian Hackenberg upright. In three seasons at Penn State, Hackenberg has been dropped a staggering total of 103 times. It's astounding that he avoided a serious injury until his final game. The Nittany Lions' front unit has nowhere to go but up, but a pocket passer like Hackenberg is going to factor the big guys into his decision to either stay or leave. It would've been interesting to see if the junior could've had more success at Penn State with a little more protection.

4. Mobile-Friendly Offense

In addition to the fact that a mobile passer may better succeed behind a shaky-at-best offensive line, the offensive scheme doesn't exactly tailor to a pocket passer. James Franklin and former offensive coordinator John Donovan tried to run the read option the past two seasons as opposed to a pro-style offense that Hackenberg ran under Bill O'Brien. It's clear which Hackenberg truly thrives in, and with former Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead's similar zone-read offense coming to town, leaving was the clear choice.

3. Unreliable Playmakers

The Nittany Lions have a plethora of talent at the receiver position, but outside of Chris Godwin, none really stepped up this season to help their quarterback. Dropped passes were a problem, and hyped players such as Saeed Blacknall and Mike Gesicki had disappointing seasons. They're still young, but the corps hasn't been the same since the departure of Allen Robinson.

3. Unreliable Playmakers

The Nittany Lions have a plethora of talent at the receiver position, but outside of Chris Godwin, none really stepped up this season to help their quarterback. Dropped passes were a problem, and hyped players such as Saeed Blacknall and Mike Gesicki had disappointing seasons. They're still young, but the corps hasn't been the same since the departure of Allen Robinson.

2. Bad Blood

Any talk about Hackenberg's relationship with James Franklin would be pure speculation, but that's what fans love to do. When the quarterback announced his intentions to enter the draft following the TaxSlayer Bowl, he thanked a lot of people. The only problem is that he omitted a very important name: his current head coach. Many fans have blamed Franklin for the obvious regression of the one-time Big Ten freshman of the year, so is it crazy to think that Hackenberg does as well?

2. Bad Blood

Any talk about Hackenberg's relationship with James Franklin would be pure speculation, but that's what fans love to do. When the quarterback announced his intentions to enter the draft following the TaxSlayer Bowl, he thanked a lot of people. The only problem is that he omitted a very important name: his current head coach. Many fans have blamed Franklin for the obvious regression of the one-time Big Ten freshman of the year, so is it crazy to think that Hackenberg does as well?

1. Bill O'Brien

Where Hackenberg ends up a few months from now is again pure speculation, but ever since O'Brien left Penn State for the NFL, the popular opinion has been that we might see a reunion between the two in April. Unlike his assumed relationship with Franklin, Hackenberg's positive relationship with O'Brien has been well-documented. And after Houston's 30-0 loss in last weekend's Wild Card playoff behind four Brian Hoyer interceptions, the soon-to-be third-year head coach of the Texans will most certainly be looking for a franchise quarterback in the draft.

1. Bill O'Brien

Where Hackenberg ends up a few months from now is again pure speculation, but ever since O'Brien left Penn State for the NFL, the popular opinion has been that we might see a reunion between the two in April. Unlike his assumed relationship with Franklin, Hackenberg's positive relationship with O'Brien has been well-documented. And after Houston's 30-0 loss in last weekend's Wild Card playoff behind four Brian Hoyer interceptions, the soon-to-be third-year head coach of the Texans will most certainly be looking for a franchise quarterback in the draft.