Henry Hasselbeck, the son of retired NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, had been committed to play lacrosse at Maryland since last year but threw the sports world a curveball on Friday night.
In a surprising announcement, the three-star quarterback who played High School football at Xaverian Brothers in Westwood, Massachusetts, revealed that he would forego his lacrosse career and, instead, turn to the game of football.
Hasselbeck then revealed his commitment to Michigan State, who won out over Boston College, Pittsburgh and UAB.
In April, the Spartans lost two-year starter Payton Thorne to Auburn after he entered the transfer portal. That left the team with only redshirt freshman Katin Houser and redshirt junior Noah Kim in the quarterback room. It also leaves the door cracked open for Hasselbeck to come in and potentially earn some playing time.
At Michigan State, Hasselbeck will have the opportunity to throw passes to the son of another longtime NFL player, Antonio Gates Jr., whose father is future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates.
Hasselbeck’s father, Matt, played for four different teams over the span of his 17-year NFL career. He found most of his success with the Seattle Seahawks, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and leading the franchise to Super Bowl XL.
After his retirement, Matt was named to the Seattle Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team and was enshrined in their Ring of Honor.
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