James Franklin is typically a fast-starter on the recruiting trail, particularly at the quarterback position, where players often commit during the offseason before their junior year. However, Franklin and Penn State continue to strike out at the most important position in the 2027 class.
The latest blow for the Nittany Lions came on Monday morning when four-star QB Peter Bourque announced his commitment to Michigan. The Marion, Massachusetts, product is the No. 6 QB in the country according to 247Sports Composite Rankings and was Penn State’s highest-rated target at the position.
BREAKING: Four-Star QB Peter Bourque has Committed to Michigan, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 11, 2025
The 6’4 210 QB from Hingham, MA chose the Wolverines over Penn State, North Carolina, & Georgia
He’s ranked as the No. 7 QB in the ‘27 Class (per Rivals)
“GO BLUE”https://t.co/okqjBOUkDC pic.twitter.com/Im5iZSx1IU
Bourque’s commitment comes just weeks after four-star Teddy Jarrard chose Notre Dame over the Nittany Lions, taking another top option off the board for Franklin, Andy Kotelnicki, and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien. However, the Bourque commitment stings even more because Penn State will likely have to face him once a year, and because he’s another top QB from the Northeast that Penn State failed to land.
Top QB recruits in the Northeast continue to evade James Franklin
Penn State is a program with national pull, especially at the quarterback position. The Nittany Lions' last two QB commits are 2025 three-star Bekkem Kritza, who is from Colorado and ended his high school football career in Florida, and 2026 four-star Troy Huhn from San Marcos, California.
Still, the Nittany Lions are the lone college football powerhouse in the Northeast, towering over the likes of Syracuse, Boston College, and Rutgers. Yet, in recent years, the top QB prospects from the area have slipped through Franklin’s grasp. Both Drew Allar and Ethan Grunkemeyer hail from Ohio, and Penn State’s last top QB from the area was Beau Pribula in 2022.
Pribula has since transferred to Missouri, where he’ll serve as a mentor for last year’s top QB recruit in Pennsylvania, Matt Zollers. In the 2026 class, Nazareth, PA four-star Peyton Falzone de-committed from Penn State and flipped to Auburn, and in 2024, Connecticut four-star Ryan Puglisi chose Georgia.
The Northeast is not a recruiting hotbed on par with Texas, Florida, and the rest of the Southeast, where many of the other national championship contenders are situated. It doesn’t even measure up to the talent level in the Midwest, where Franklin and his staff often have to venture to compete with Michigan, Notre Dame, and, of course, Ohio State. So, when talent does arise in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, etc., the Nittany Lions need to be at the front of the line.
However, the good news is that the 2027 class includes another top QB from the area, four-star Keegan Croucher from Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, where current Penn State tight end Luke Reynolds played his high school football. He’s not quite as talented as Bourque, but as the No. 10 QB in the class, he’d be an excellent consolation prize.