After Penn State fired James Franklin, it took a while before athletic director Pat Kraft hired Franklin’s replacement. Kraft ended up turning to Iowa State and head coach Matt Campbell.
It was a surprise hire. The former Cyclones coach brought a lot of his former players from Ames, Iowa, to State College. In terms of recruiting, Campbell was behind the eight ball after being hired so late. Several Penn State commits decided to flip and follow Franklin to Virginia Tech in the Class of 2026.
As far as the Class of 2027 goes, recruiting is picking up this fall, but last spring, the Nittany Lions picked up a commitment from four-star quarterback Will Wood from Massachusetts. However, on Sunday, the Xaverian Brothers High School signal caller had a change of heart and flipped his commitment in a stunning move.
Penn State Loses 4-Star Class of 2027 Commit To Boston College
Wood posted on his X account that he was flipping his commitment from Penn State to Boston College. There haven’t been too many times where Penn State loses a commit on a flip to Boston College.
“Thank you to Coach Campbell and Penn State for their belief in me. 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,” wrote Wood.
Wood explained to Brian Dohn of 247Sports why he flipped his commitment.
“Early on, when I initially committed to Penn State, I was so caught up in how couldn’t you (go to) Penn State, the brand and play for coach (Matt) Campbell at Penn State,” Wood said, per Dohn. “As time went on, I think I started to look at it more objectively. I realized I wanted to be close to home, and I believe in this coach, and this coach is all in on me. I feel like I can make a real difference in the program.
“I grew up going to games there, and I know a lot of people in the program. I have a few former teammates that are on the team, so in my mind it made perfect sense.”
Wood also said O’Brien’s work with Tom Brady during his time with the New England Patriots and Bryce Young at Alabama were other factors in wanting to play for him.
Penn State Loses Out on Two Class of 2027 Quarterbacks
Wood is one of a trio of talented quarterbacks in Massachusetts already committed to Power 4 programs. Peter Bourque de-committed from Michigan back in December when Sherrone Moore was let go.
Campbell and Penn State were in the mix for Bourque. As were Franklin and Virginia Tech, and Kirby Smart and Georgia. In the end, Bourque picked Virginia Tech over Penn State and Georgia before Campbell got Wood. Now, he has lost him to BC and O’Brien.
Another top Massachusetts quarterback, Christopher Vargas of St. John’s Prep in the Class of 2028, has committed to Ryan Day and Ohio State.
Matt Campbell and Penn State Lose 4-Star Quarterback Commit in Stunning Flip To ACC School