Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Class of 2024 QB Target Henry Hasselbeck Commits to Michigan State
The writing was on the wall when Henry Hasselbeck didn’t make his previously planned official visit to Pittsburgh, but now it’s official.
The same day that Hasselbeck — a 6-foot-3, 170-pound three-star quarterback from Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Massachusetts — announced he was going to play football instead of lacrosse in college, he announced where he will be playing college football.
Hasselbeck committed to Michigan State Friday, ending his recruiting process.
Excited to announce that I have committed to play football at Michigan State! @MSU_Football @Coach_mtucker @JayJohnsonFB @MSUFBRecruiting @JakeReiling97 @CoachCKap @M2_QBacademy @XBHS_Football #GoGreen ⚔️ 🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/nmLLGf6S1O
— Henry Hasselbeck (@HenryHasselbeck) July 1, 2023
Hasselbeck was a top target over the last few months, as he made an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh in May and planned to make it back out at the end of June, but it appears as though his official visit to Michigan State changed everything.
Hasselbeck, the son of former Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, committed to MSU over offers from Army, Boston College, Bowling Green, Connecticut, Dartmouth, East Carolina, Fordham, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Holy Cross, Liberty, Pitt, Rice, UAB and West Michigan.
247Sports rates Hasselbeck as the 1,128th-ranked quarterback in the class (51st-ranked quarterback and the fourth-ranked recruit from Massachusetts) while On3 rates him as the 1,237th-ranked quarterback in the class (60th-ranked quarterback and sixth-ranked recruit from Massachusetts).
Rivals rates him as the fifth-ranked recruit from Massachusetts — holding a 5.5 Rivals Rating.
He had been on Pitt’s radar since Frank Cignetti Jr. went up to Xaverian Brothers High himself to watch Hasselbeck throw, extending an offer then, but the relationship ultimately went in a different direction.
Pitt is still looking for a quarterback in the class of 2024, and with Hasselbeck — expectedly — off the board, it leaves Pitt searching. Hasselbeck and Miles O’Neill — who committed to Texas A&M last month — were two top options.
The other — and very top, at that — option is Trever Jackson. Jackson impressed at the Elite 11 finals and has picked up offers from Miami and UCLA since, but he’s still firmly in the mix. However, it appears that Jackson’s recruiting process will be that much tougher going forward.
Pitt also restarted its communication with Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger over the past week, so it remains to be seen where that relationship progresses.
Based on his ratings, I’m not so sure this is bad news. Pitt needs to lure a top-notch QB and not settle for less. Only then will the team have a real chance to eventually qualify for the FBS playoffs.