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10 former college football standouts who’ll impact American Alliance of Football

By Luke Feliciano

ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 20: Denard Robinson #16 of the Michigan Wolverines runs 44 yards during the the fourth quarter of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium on October 20, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines defeated the Spartans 12-10. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 20: Denard Robinson #16 of the Michigan Wolverines runs 44 yards during the the fourth quarter of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Stadium on October 20, 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Wolverines defeated the Spartans 12-10. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 17: Christian Hackenberg #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions passes in the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 17, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Penn State 38-10. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 17: Christian Hackenberg #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions passes in the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 17, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Penn State 38-10. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

1. Christian Hackenberg, QB, Memphis Express

Highly-touted out of high school was Christian Hackenberg, a product of Penn State. The Nittany Lions’ mediocrity was put on his shoulders during his tenure as the team’s starting quarterback.

Hackenberg was rated a five-star recruit for his big arm, which he showed at Penn State. Although, he threw double-digit interception totals in each of his first two seasons before correcting those mistakes in his junior year.

Nonetheless, Hackenberg threw for nearly 8,500 yards and 48 touchdowns as a Nittany Lion. His size, at 6-4, led to his high NFL potential, but that didn’t exactly end up the way he wanted it.

In 2016, he was drafted in the second round by the New York Jets and had the opportunity to be the starting quarterback, but he ended up landing on the third string on the depth chart.

In 2017, he never played a down and last season, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders. In his NFL career, he practically has no stats to his line.

Despite this, he is still only 23 and football is still fresh after he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad and almost immediately signed by the AAF team he will play for, the Memphis Express.

Given his track record, he probably won’t make for a bonafide starting quarterback should he return to the NFL, but most teams carry three signal callers.

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If he does well enough this season, he could meander his way back in the NFL, but a lot of that would rest of whether or not he performs well in the new league.

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