Penn State football is still without a Class of 2027 quarterback. After losing out on four-star Will Mencl to Oregon and still waiting on four-star Peter Bourque's decision, head coach Matt Campbell has a perfect opportunity to try and find some security at that position.
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William Wood, a Westwood, Mass. native who plays for Xaverian Brothers, received a huge boost in recruit rankings for ESPN. In early May, Wood went from an unranked prospect to a four-star recruit. He's also listed as the No. 20 overall quarterback in the class.
Rivals Industry Ranking and 247Sports Composite ranking still have Wood listed as a three-star recruit. Rivals ranked him 416th nationally, 28th among quarterbacks, and third out of recruits from Massachusetts. Similarly, 247Sports has him ranked 486th nationally, 29th at his position, and third from his home state.
Penn State 2027 QB target Will Wood went from unranked to a 4-star, top-20 QB in ESPN's latest recruiting rankings. https://t.co/n0ZyJs0acn
— Zach Seyko (@zach_seyko) May 6, 2026
The Nittany Lions offered Wood a scholarship in late April. Though he has yet to pencil in an official visit, Penn State is still at the top of his list as well as Boston College.
Despite the Eagles having proximity over the Nittany Lions, head coach Matt Campbell's history with quarterbacks is something that stands out to Wood. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played at Iowa State under Campbell from 2018-21.
“[Purdy's] not the biggest guy, the fastest guy, doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he wins because he’s a winner,” Wood told Joe Smeltzer of Nittany Sports Now at the end of April. “He has all the intangibles. He’s a leader. Super accurate. I think that’s why I’ve been so drawn to watching him and trying to model, I wouldn’t say like copy his game, but model some things he does."
Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters overlapped with Purdy as well. Mouser, in particular, was on Campbell's staff for all of Purdy's career.
Wood is expected to commit at the end of May. In the meantime, Campbell and his staff have prioritized his recruitment, sending a number of them for a home visit to ensure Penn State is in the best position possible at the end of the month.
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