Xaverian quarterback Henry Hasselbeck announced last night that he has reopened his recruitment. Hasselbeck was committed to Michigan State but since there was a coaching change, Hasselbeck has decided to see what else is out there for him. 

Hasellbeck initially committed to the Spartans on June 30 over offers from Boston College, Pittsburgh and UAB.

Hasselbeck sent out several tweets last night explaining why he decided to decommit from the Spartans.

“I committed to play football at Michigan State back in June. Since that time, a lot has changed there. This fall my focus has been on bringing a conference and state championship back to Xaverian. Now that our season is over, I think it’s appropriate to focus on recruiting again.”

Hasselbeck then went on to announce that he is opening up his recruitment again.

“With all that has changed, I believe it is wise for me to start my recruiting process over again. I’d like to publicly thank the previous staff at Michigan State, especially Coaches Johnson, Kapilovic, Novak, and Reiling among others for initiating my interest in Michigan State.”

This is not a surprise to me. I felt after Mel Tucker was fired that Hasselbeck would indeed reopen his recruitment. He was close with offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and once the staff was let go, Hasselbeck wanted to see what other schools might offer him now.

He has not closed the door on Michigan State and new coach Jonathan Smith. Smith is a terrific offensive coach and he is bringing offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren with him from Oregon State. 

“Michigan State is still a strong consideration for me. I had a great first conversation with Coach Brian Lindgren and I look forward to getting to know him and the new Michigan State staff better. Thank you to my coaches and teammates for helping me get to here!!” 

In recent weeks, there was speculation that UCLA was interested in Hasselbeck and several other schools that did not originally recruit him, would now join in. 

Either way, Hasselbeck will be a popular recruit. Talented young quarterbacks do not become available this late in the recruiting process, even in this era of the transfer portal.