Dec. 17, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; December 17, 2013 - Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg (Palmyra, Va.) and tight end Adam Breneman (Mechanicsburg) have been named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-America team.
The 2013 Big Ten Thompson-Randel El Freshman of the Year, Hackenberg is the first-team quarterback on the 247Sports squad. Breneman was named to the second-team from Coach Bill O'Brien's squad. Their selections give Penn State four freshman All-America honorees the past two years, as defensive end Deion Barnes (Philadelphia) and tight end Kyle Carter (Bear, Del.) were consensus 2012 choices.
Hackenberg was selected the 247Sports National True Freshman of the Week twice this past season, after leading the Nittany Lions to wins over Michigan and No. 14 Wisconsin.
Hackenberg was selected Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times during the 2013 season, the second-highest total for a player since the award began in 2010. He also was named BTN.com's Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was the offensive captain for ESPN.com's Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
For the season, Hackenberg was 231 of 392 for 2,955 yards, with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten in completions, his 20 touchdown passes are one off the Big Ten lead, and he is 0.5 yards from being No. 2 in passing (246.2 ypg). He had 14 completions of 40 yards or longer this season, which ranks seventh nationally and leads the Big Ten and all freshman signal-callers nationwide.
Hackenberg broke one Penn State overall and 11 school freshman game or season passing and total offense records this year, including game (30) and season completions (231), game (340) and season passing yardage (2,955) and game (4) and season (20) touchdown passes. He also broke freshman marks for game (55) and season passing attempts (392) and the number of 200-yard (9) and 300-yard (4) passing games.
With 339 yards and four touchdowns in the Nov. 30 win at Wisconsin, Hackenberg posted his ninth 200-yard passing game this season, moving into third on the Penn State single season list, trailing only Kerry Collins (10, 1994) and Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin (11, 2012). Hackenberg had four 300-yard passing games this season, topped by 340 yards at Indiana, which ties him for the most in a single season at Penn State with McGloin (2012).
The former Fork Union Military Academy All-American threw for 2,955 yards this season, moving into third place on the Penn State single-season chart. Hackenberg's 231 completions rank fourth at Penn State in a season, one behind Daryll Clark's 232 completions in 2009.
A starter in five games this season, Breneman was sixth on team with 15 catches for 186 yards (12.4) and three touchdowns, grabbing a scoring strike in each of the last three games. Breneman made the team's longest play from scrimmage in 2013 with a 68-yard catch and run on Penn State's first possession in the win at Wisconsin. He made three catches for a season-high 78 yards vs. the Badgers.
The former Cedar Cliff High School All-American made a season-high four catches vs. UCF. Breneman made two catches for 22 yards and a touchdown vs. Purdue and two catches for 27 yards at Minnesota.
Penn State returns 16 starters for the 2014 season (8 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist), which begins August 30 vs. No. 15 UCF in the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland. Public tickets for the Nittany Lions' first international game are available at www.ticketmaster.ie/psufootball and by entering the passcode, PSUDUBLIN14. The public ticket offering will end December 31.
Penn State season ticket renewals are underway for the 2014 campaign. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing 2014 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium and the Croke Park Classic, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Penn State Athletics is on Twitter (http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/twitter.html) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pennstatenittanylions).