We caught up with former Xaverian standout quarterback and 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year Henry Hasselbeck about his recent transfer from UCLA to Appalachian State.

Here is what Henry had to say.

NEFJ: Why did you commit to Appalachian State? What appealed to you about the school and the program?

HH: “The way college football is right now, the best thing for me is to find an opportunity to get on the field and play. I am a big fan of Coach Chesney and his staff, but UCLA is locked at quarterback again this year with Nico. He is a good player. I’ll miss my teammates, many of us have been through a lot together. Coach Chesney is the fourth head coach we had in my two years there.”

NEFJ: Why did decide to move on from UCLA? When did you realize it was time for a change?

HH: “I really didn’t know if I should leave UCLA or not because the portal window was opening while Coach Chesney was still coaching JMU in the College Football Playoff. There wasn’t much time to decide. The whole thing was a 100 mph experience.”

NEFJ: How much did you lean on your support system when you made the decision to commit to Appalachian State? Who guided you in the process?

HH: “Once I entered the portal, a bunch of schools reached out, but some filled up before I even had the chance to visit. My visit schedule seemed to change every day. Ironically, App State was my very first visit. Boone, NC feels like football heaven, it was a great visit from beginning to end. I really loved the coaches and the other guys they had brought in day one as a priority visits. It reminded me a lot of Xaverian, in terms of an atmosphere of people who really love football.”

NEFJ: Did you consider any schools on the East Coast or closer to home? (Not BC specifically)

HH: “From there, I flew back to UCLA and talked to the new staff about possibly coming back. I strongly considered that, but took my next visit to UConn with Coach Candle anyway. My UConn visit was really great too, you can tell they will be successful and build something special there, but they were just in the beginning phase of that. I had 3 other visits planned after UConn but decided to commit to App State on the drive home.”

NEFJ: What has Coach Loggains told in regards to you competing for playing time?

HH: “It’s a football school in a football town and the level of QB coaching they provide is unmatched.”