Penn State 2027 Recruit Will Wood Flips to Boston College, Further Testing Future at QB

A day after losing its fourth straight Big Ten game, Penn State lost the only quarterback in its 2027 recruiting class. Will Wood, a 3-star prospect from Xaverian Brothers High in Massachusetts, announced Sunday that he has switched his commitment from Penn State to Boston College.

Wood announced his decision less than 24 hours after Penn State' dropped to 0-4 in the Big Ten with a 21-18 loss to Michigan. Boston College is closer to home for Wood, who is from Westwood, Massachusetts, and coached by former Penn State coach Bill O'Brien, who has recruited Wood heavily over the past year.

"Thank you to Coach [Matt] Campbell and Penn State for their belief in me," Wood wrote in a post on X. "I have zero doubt they will turn things around and deserve the fanbase’s patience.

"For me, I have decided that it’s best to stay home and play for Coach Bill O’Brien and the Boston College Eagles."

Wood joined Penn State's 2027 recruiting class in May, becoming the first quarterback to commit to Campbell's Nittany Lions. Wood committed to Penn State soon after Peter Bourque, a 4-star prospect whom Campbell also was recruiting, committed to James Franklin and Virginia Tech.

Wood (6-1, 220 pounds) is the 30th-ranked quarterback nationally and No. 3 player overall in Massachusetts, according to the 247Sports Composite. He led Xaverian Brothers
to its third straight Massachusetts Division I title last season, going 11-for-16 for 345 yards and five touchdowns in the team's 41-35 victory victory over St. John's Prep in the MIAA Division I Super Bowl at Gillette Stadum. Wood also received offers from North Carolina, West Virginia, Syracuse, Wake Forest and Maryland, among other programs.

Penn State moved methodically in recruiting a quarterback to its 2027 class, which didn't receive its first overall commit until spring practice began in March. Campbell showed interest in multiple quarterbacks, including Will Mencl (who committed to Oregon) and Keegan Croucher (Ole Miss) during the process.

But after offering Wood in late April, Penn State made an aggressive approach with him. Campbell sent five assistants for an in-home visit with Wood that included offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, quarterbacks coach Jake Waters and offensive line coach Matt Clanton.

Wood said that Penn State's coaching staff and program resources were factors in his decision to commit to the Nittany Lions.

"Just getting to know the coaches [is why I committed],” Wood said in a May interview. “Being able to play for Coach Campbell, a guy who I feel I relate to a lot, someone who runs a program the right way, someone who's won at a program [Iowa State] that never won, and now he's at Penn State, one of the best programs in all of college football. 

“Now he has all the resources to go win a national championship, and he feels I can be a big part of that. Having the confidence of someone like that, being able to get coached by Coach [Taylor] Mouser and Coach [Jake] Waters, who I think are two high-level young coaches who bring a lot of energy. I think all those components together brought me to a point where, yeah, I want to go to that school.”

Where Penn State turns at quarterback for 2027

Wood was Penn State's lone quarterback recruit in the 2027 class, which now has 21 commits and ranks 20th nationally and seventh in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite. Penn State already needed to pursue at least one quarterback in the 2027 transfer portal. Now it likely will need more.

Penn State returns just two (current) scholarship quarterbacks from its 2026 roster: second-year player Alex Manske and freshman Kase Evans. Starter Rocco Becht, who committed three turnovers in the Nittany Lions' loss to Michigan, is in his final season. So is Division III transfer Connor Barry, the team's No. 3 quarterback.

Evans has been injured for part of the season and has not played. He was not on the travel roster at Michigan. Penn State also moved freshman tight end Peyton Falzone to tight end during training camp.

Quarterback play has been an issue for Penn State, which is 0-4 in the Big Ten for the second consecutive season. Becht ranks 14th in the Big Ten in passer rating (112.05) in games against conference teams. His 59.6 completion percentage ranks 10th.

Penn State has not played Manske in leverage situations in Big Ten games, though Mouser called a series for him at Wisconsin. After a first-down penalty, Mouser put Becht back at quarterback.

Campbell said Saturday that he has not considered replacing Becht with Manske. Penn State has a bye week before returning to Beaver Stadium to host Purdue on Oct. 31.

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