Son of NFL Pro Bowl QB announces transfer portal commitment

UCLA finished the 2025 season 3–9 (3–6 Big Ten), beginning the year 0–3, which led to the dismissal of second-year head coach DeShaun Foster.

Tim Skipper served as interim head coach and oversaw the program’s most notable victories, including upsets of No. 7 Penn State, Michigan State, and Maryland, though the season still ended with a losing record.

UCLA announced a new direction on December 6, hiring Bob Chesney as its next head coach with the goal of stabilizing the program and importing the organizational structure he built at James Madison.

One of Chesney’s early roster challenges has come at quarterback, as Henry Hasselbeck, son of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, entered the transfer portal and officially signed with Appalachian State on Friday.

#GoApp pic.twitter.com/43Y5z0kEaf
— Henry Hasselbeck (@HenryHasselbeck) January 9, 2026

Hasselbeck enrolled at UCLA in 2024 and did not appear in a game during his time with the Bruins, spending his tenure on the scout team while being listed as a redshirt freshman.

A 6-foot-3, 180-pound Massachusetts prep product out of Xaverian Brothers (after transferring from Belmont Hill), Hasselbeck was a highly regarded northeastern recruit, ranking as the No. 56 quarterback in the 2024 class and the No. 4 overall player in the state, according to 247Sports.

Hasselbeck was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year for the 2023–24 season and originally committed to Michigan State before flipping to UCLA, choosing the Bruins over offers from Boston College, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Arizona, Temple, and others.

His father, Matt Hasselbeck, starred at Boston College before becoming a sixth-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and enjoying an 18-year NFL career, highlighted by three Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl appearance with the Seattle Seahawks, finishing with 36,638 passing yards and 212 touchdowns.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Henry Hasselbeck. — Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Henry Hasselbeck (18) warms up prior to the game against the Washington Huskies at Rose Bowl. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Appalachian State underwent a coaching change last offseason, hiring Dowell Loggains as head coach in December 2024, and entered the 2026 transfer portal window with significant quarterback turnover, as AJ Swann, JJ Kohl, and Matthew Wilson all entered the portal.

That combination created a clear opening for a young, developmental quarterback with remaining eligibility to compete for early playing time under Loggains’ staff.

For Hasselbeck, the transfer represents a move from a limited, scout-team role at a Power Five program to a more immediate opportunity in the Sun Belt under a quarterback-focused staff.

Loggains brings extensive experience coaching the position, having previously served as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at South Carolina, as well as multiple NFL stops, including the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans.

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