The Penn State Nittany Lions are going to look extremely different in 2026 than they did in 2025. That much is clear. New head coach Matt Campbell came in and immediately brought over the best of the best from Iowa State and added some bonus players on top of that. Now he just has to figure out how to build the future beyond this season after many of “his guys” are likely gone.
Penn State still has exactly zero recruits lined up for the 2027 class as of this writing, but coach Campbell is looking to change that in the very near future. How? By beating out Big Ten rivals for the most important recruit of the entire offseason.
Four-Star QB Peter Bourque Predicted to Join Penn State
Penn State has been pushing for a quarterback of the future from the moment that Campbell was announced as the new head coach. Sure, it will be nice to have Rocco Becht for one more year in 2026, but after he’s gone Penn State is going to need a new leader at quarterback right away.
Enter, Peter Bourque.
Bourque is a four-star quarterback from Massachusetts currently rated inside the top 100 overall recruits in the country for 2027. He’s a 6-4, 220-pound dual-threat athlete who was Gatorade Player of the Year last season in Massachusetts. He was a rare junior addition to the All-American Bowl already this past January. Bourque is on track to compete for five-star status when the 2027 recruiting class is all said and done. If Penn State could land him, that would obviously be a phenomenal addition.
As of Monday, industry experts began predicting Bourque heavily to commit to Penn State. If that happens, he would certainly become the most critical addition for Campbell thus far in high school recruiting. And the best part? Campbell would be stealing him away from conference rival Michigan Wolverines. Bourque had been committed to Michigan, but just decommitted in February.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Penn State fans might feel a bit skeptical about a big-bodied high pedigree quarterback coming in to save the future, considering how Drew Allar never quite lived up to his lofty expectations. However, Bourque could be the perfect talent to provide stability in building around him. He’s just mobile enough to add more value than Allar with his legs in case the offensive line isn’t perfect around him right away, and he has plenty of arm strength to rocket the ball downfield.
It’s unlikely that Bourque would be given the reins right away as a true freshman considering that transfer portal talents can plug-and-play much easier if they’re experienced. However, Nittany Lions fans could certainly expect to see this level of talent earn the starting role by year two.
The most important aspect of landing Bourque doesn’t come down to, “He’ll be a nice starting quarterback two years from now.” The real value in adding him soon for coach Campbell and Penn State comes with what he’ll bring in building out the rest of the 2027 recruiting class. When teams have a high pedigree quarterback in place, the top players in the country typically flock to follow them. That’s exactly what Penn State’s completely empty 2027 recruiting class needs right now.
We’ll be back with more Penn State Nittany Lions coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news.
This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Mar 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
