|
Penn State freshman quarterback Michael O'Connor, ESPN's No. 6 signal-caller in the 2014 recruiting class, plans to leave the football program and transfer elsewhere. He redshirted this season but was expected to compete for the starting job after Christian Hackenberg's departure. "I loved my time here at Penn State and thank the community for all their support," O'Connor told ESPN.com in a text message. He committed to former coach Bill O'Brien last year but, two weeks before O'Connor was set to enroll, O'Brien took a job with the NFL's Houston Texans. O'Connor decided to enroll early at Penn State anyway, despite James Franklin's hire not becoming official until the weekend before O'Connor started school. Franklin also signed quarterback Trace McSorley to Penn State's 2014 recruiting class. Besides Hackenberg, McSorley is now the only scholarship quarterback on the roster. "We thank Michael for his contributions to the program and wish him well in his future academic and athletic endeavors," Franklin said. O'Connor is the fifth scholarship quarterback to transfer from Penn State since 2012. The other four were Tyler Ferguson (Louisville), Rob Bolden (LSU, Eastern Michigan), Steven Bench (USF) and Paul Jones (Robert Morris).
|
