Former New York Jets and Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg’s professional football career never quite worked out. The 2nd round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft never managed to take a regular-season snap during stints with the Jets, Raiders, Eagles, and Bengals, disappointing many who saw him as a future starting quarterback in the league.
Hackenberg isn’t calling it quits when it comes to sports, however, as he recently announced that he will attempt to transition to baseball as a pitcher and sign a professional contract.
Hackenberg, a right-handed hurler who has shown a 90 mile-per-hour fastball in workouts for scouts, has not played baseball competitively since high school at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.
The Pennsylvania native did not excel on the mound in high school in 25 2/3 innings of career work. He struck out 33 batters while walking 40, recording five HBPs and a 7.36 ERA in mostly relief appearances.
Hackenberg said in an interview with NBC Philadelphia, “I’ve kind of had my trials and tribulations with the NFL, and had success and had that roller-coaster ride. At the end of the day, I’m sitting here at 25. For me … I feel like I’ve got a lot left in the tank.”
“Simple as I can put it: I just want to compete, man,” he added.
