Spartans add NFL legacy quarterback to class of 2024

Mel Tucker and his Michigan State Spartans landed a big commit in the class of 2024 on Friday night when Henry Hasselbeck gave his pledge to the team. Henry is the son of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

The three-star signal caller out of Westwood (Mass.) held more than a dozen offers including ones from Boston College (his father’s alma mater), Pittsburgh, Harvard, Dartmouth and Arizona to name a few.

The younger Hasselbeck was set to head to Maryland on a lacrosse scholarship and had been committed to the Terps for close to a year before the football interest really picked up, ultimately leading Hasselbeck to the sport that his father excelled in.

Hasselbeck measures in at 6-foot-3, and close to 170 pounds per recruiting databases, he will have to put on some weight before he will be ready to play Big Ten football, but still has a year of high school football prior to arriving in East Lansing (Mich.) upon signing a letter of intent.

Quarterback has been an issue for Michigan State as of late after losing 2022 starter Payton Thorne to Auburn via the transfer portal. 2023 will see Noah Kim and Katin Houser battle it out for the starting job as Michigan State looks to bounce back from a 5-7 season that saw the Spartans miss a bowl game.

The offensive numbers for Michigan State last year were not good, 96th in the nation in total offense, 57th in passing offense and 90th in scoring offense.

Michigan State now has 10 commits for the class of 2024 in a class that is heavily weighted on the offensive side of the ball with only three defensive players in the class to date.

The Spartans open the 2023 season on September 1st, hosting Central Michigan.