Commitment: 2027 Four Star QB Will Wood
STATE COLLEGE: Penn State fans have been waiting for a decision, and the time finally came on May 15th, as four-star quarterback William Wood committed to the Nittany Lions. Wood plays for Xaverian Brothers out of Westwood, MA, and stands 6'2", 220 lbs. Many in State College are already talking about his similarities to former Penn State Quarterback Trace McSorley. Penn State has spent quite a bit of time deciding on its next signal caller this cycle, so how did the two sides come to a decision?
April 20 - Penn State QB Coach Jake Waters extended an offer to Wood. After the offer was extended, Wood made it clear in multiple interviews that Penn State was near or at the top of his list. Throughout the next month, Penn State would be in a recruiting battle with a familiar foe in former Head Coach Bill O’Brien, who currently coaches Wood’s hometown Boston College Eagles. Behind the scenes, Penn State was still trying to decide between Wood and long-time target Peter Bourque.
May 8 - Things became a little clearer less than a month after Wood’s visit, as Penn State scheduled a home visit with Will Wood. Head Coach Matt Campbell made it clear to everyone that Wood was the guy they wanted, sending his entire offensive staff to visit Wood at his home. On that visit were OL Coach Ryan Clanton, OC Taylor Mouser, QB Coach Jake Waters, WR Coach Kashif Moore, and RB Coach Savon Huggins. This visit set the wheels in motion, not long after Wood stated in an interview with 247sports that his commitment timeline had been rapidly sped up, with a decision coming very soon.
May 15 - Around 3 pm EST, Wood notified the nation that he would be committing to the Nittany Lions. It was noted that Wood made phone calls to Bill O’Brien and Matt Campbell the night before, letting them know of his decision. I had a chance to catch up with Will later that afternoon about what led him to choose Penn State as his destination for the next level. He states the following:
“I fell in love with the coaches, the program, and the culture. They were willing to take a chance on me when a lot of top programs didn’t.”
Wood projects as potentially one of the most underrated Quarterbacks in the cycle, and it is very clear that he will come in with something to prove. The two-time Massachusetts State Champion quarterback, whose ranking has begun to climb, will certainly receive more offers over the coming months as his senior season takes place. But he has made one thing clear: Penn State is home.
