Two QB recruits Penn State can pivot to after missing out on Peter Bourque

The search for a class of 2027 quarterback is still underway for Penn State football. Four-star target Peter Bourque announced Monday morning of his commitment to Michigan, backing Rivals' Steve Wiltfong's expert prediction made on Saturday. Before that, the Nittany Lions whiffed on landing another four-star to Notre Dame, Teddy Jarrard.

After piling energy into recruiting one and now two missed targets, Penn State will have to establish strong campaigns for its next targets. Two four-star quarterbacks are up in the air for the Nittany Lions — one more likely than the other.

Keegan Croucher

Croucher is the 10th ranked quarterback in the class of 2027 and the No. 125 overall recruit, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. What sets Penn State a part out of his three emerging favorites is location. The Cheshire, Conn. native is another high-ranked quarterback out of the Northeast, which are hard to come by when compared to talent in the South. The problem for head coach James Franklin will be keeping him in the region whether it's against Big Ten or SEC schools. In this recruitment battle, he'll have to fend off both.

Croucher told Rivals' Chad Simmons that Penn State, Oregon, and Ole Miss are his top three schools at the moment. There hasn't been an update in any of their chances of landing him, but the Nittany Lions were leading with a 37 percent chance when the Wolverines were still in the mix. Now that they've secured Bourque, other four-star quarterbacks, like Croucher, will be more inclined to consider other schools.

As a sophomore, Croucher completed 145 passes for 2,052 yards and 20 touchdowns. He threw just three interceptions and added an additional 69 carries and one score on 19 rushing attempts. Including his freshman season, Croucher has thrown for high school career total of 4,986 passing yards and 51 touchdowns. He is also a potential high-ranked baseball prospect as pitcher.

"[Croucher] has a live arm and easy velocity, can get the ball down the field with ease without a big windup. Strong mechanically with a tight release and can throw from different arm angles," 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins wrote. "Shows good mobility in the pocket, can feel pressure and either climb the pocket or escape outside and make plays off-script. Has a really nice all around game and looks like one of the better pure throwers in the ’27 class."

Penn State doesn't just have proximity to pitch. Tight end Luke Reynolds played for Cheshire Academy, where Croucher currently is now. The rising junior is set to visit Happy Valley for a third time. He attended the June 2024 school camp, made an unofficial visit on Nov. 2, 2024, and will attend a game-day this fall.

Peyton Houston

Though the Nittany Lions are warming up on Croucher, Houston is the only other four-star passer on Penn State's clipboard. He's ranked just one spot behind Croucher on 247Sports Composite Rankings as the No. 11 quarterback and the 126th-ranked overall recruit. As a sophomore, he threw for 4,480 yards and 38 touchdowns on 310 completions with six interceptions. Houston added 690 rushing yards and seven rushing scores as well.

The Louisiana quarterback isn't feeling too hot with the Nittany Lions, though. According to Rivals' Sam Spiegelman, Texas, Oklahoma, and South Carolina seem to be the top three schools most likely to land Houston.

Franklin already missed out on quarterbacks from both regions. Even though Houston shouldn't be ruled out completely (yet), Houston will more than likely make him 0-2 in the South. Croucher can't make him 0-2 in the Northeast.