State College - The first question for the "defensive genius" was about a quarterback.

Not a guy he's going against. Certainly not someone he coaches.No, Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop got on a roll the other day talking about Christian Hackenberg, the quarterback on his own team.That says something. That says a lot about the kid so many don't quite know what to think about right now.Is Hackenberg really a top five pick in next spring's NFL Draft, like NFL scouts predict after only his junior season?Or will he be the guy who threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season?Is he a great teammate, like his captain status suggests? Or is it worrisome that he seemed to rant at teammates and coaches on the sideline last season?Certainly, he looked like he wanted nothing to do with Penn State's annual media day last week. He wasn't smiling. His Penn State baseball cap was pulled down over his eyes. He read from a statement about how he wouldn't answer questions about his football future.He is the most talented quarterback at Penn State since Kerry Collins more than 20 years ago. He may be the most talented ever.And yet no one knows what this season will look like.That's what happens when a stunning rookie season is followed by one that went haywire in all ways.Don't know what to think about Hack?Well, talk to someone you normally wouldn't about him.Turns out, Shoop has known the Hackenbergs for years. He was a grad assistant at the University of Virginia when Hackenberg's father, Erick, was a quarterback there.Years later, Shoop got his first glances of the kid practicing at Penn State. It was March 2014, in Holuba Hall.It was one of those times Shoop will never forget."I was standing behind the secondary, which I've done for 25 years. It's the place I station myself during practice, and watching the ball come out of his hand, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The guy can make every throw."Clearly, he's right out of Central Casting. He's got all the dimensions, he's a great looking guy. As good a player as he is, he's an even better person, and I think that's what everybody feels about him. He's a special guy. He's the undisputed leader of the unit, and the relationship he and I have developed is kind of unique."Yes, the quarterback and the defensive coordinator."A lot of times it's immediate feedback right after practice," Shoop said. "Like, 'Hey, Christian, that was a great job looking off (safety) Marcus (Allen). What were you thinking on that?' Or, 'Hey, we're trying to disguise this, how did that look to you?'"Sometimes Hackenberg will let Shoop know if his defenders are tipping off their blitzes."That type of feedback goes back and forth, and he's so mature," Shoop said, "it's a lot like talking to a pro."Shoop gives a clue as to how Hackenberg will handle his most-watched comeback season this fall.In so many ways, it will be about the little things. The game film study, the endless drilling of footwork and timing, the ability to harness that competitive emotion on the field - to make himself a better leader.It's about growing and maturing mentally as much as physically. Like how, for example, he will better handle rough spots in games.Because the arm strength, size, toughness, even the mobility, have been there."I can have a little five-second spurt where I'm pissed off, but I have to feel like I'm a rock who won't be moved one way or another," he recently told ESPN the Magazine.He certainly put in the effort this summer, between drilling with young quarterbacks at Nike's Elite 11 Camp in Oregon to picking the brains of Peyton and Eli Manning at their camp in Louisiana.Now, we will see, once again, how he embraces the smothering pressure of playing the toughest position ... in the middle of the hottest spotlight ... amid escalating fan expectations.How well will he adjust this year when things don't go right? If his blocking begins to crumble and his young receivers miss the big plays again?That is what everyone is waiting to see.That will ultimately define him, no matter what the NFL scouts say.