Matt Campbell got to work early recruiting newly ranked 4-star QB

Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell recruited an unranked quarterback from the Class of 2027 hard before Rivals and 247Sports gave the young signal-caller his flowers.

The NFL combine could start a frustrating draft slide for a Penn State legend

On Monday, Feb. 23, Rivals posted an update on its biggest risers in its Rivals300 rankings. Quarterback Will Mencl was listed at the top. He is the third-highest ranked, un-committed quarterbacks on Rivals' rankings. Elijah Haven is No. 1 overall and Israel Abrams is No. 3 overall. Kavian Bryant (No. 2) committed to Texas Tech and Trae Taylor (No. 4) committed to Nebraska.

Mencl is a four-star prospect, per Rivals and 247Sports Composite rankings. The six-foot-three-inch and 200-pound recruit is No. 130 overall nationally and ranked 12th among quarterbacks in the composite rankings. According to the Rivals Industry Rankings, he is the No. 55 overall recruit and No. 5 quarterback. Mencl is a Chandler, Ariz. native.

Penn State and Matt Campbell made an early impression on four-star quarterback Will Mencl

Despite Oregon leading the charge in landing the four-star quarterback, the Nittany Lions were on the Mencl hype train while he was an unranked prospect. Campbell extended his offer to the rising high school senior on Jan. 20. Penn State shouldn't be counted out of the race just yet.

Since the start of his recruitment, Mencl took unofficial visits to Oregon (March 14 and Nov. 22 of 2025), Minnesota (March 20, 2025), and North Carolina (Oct. 4, 2025). He also attended the Golden Gophers' school camp on June 16, 2025. Rivals currently has the Ducks with a 99.4 percent chance of earning Mencl's commitment.

There are a surplus of offers for Mencl to sift through, so Oregon isn't the only team in Penn State's way. Alongside the Ducks and Tar Heels, Auburn, Miami, Duke, and Missouri are other programs that extended offers. Mencl has a total of 26 offers on the table so far.

In 2025, Mencl completed 258-of-367 passes for 3,815 yards and 22 touchdowns. He threw five interceptions as a junior. On the ground, he added 118 carries for 741 yards and 17 rushing scores, as reported by 247Sports.

The Nittany Lions are still commitment-less from the Class of 2027.