Eagles Land Will Wood, Flipping 4-Star QB From Penn State
By: Luke Ballard
Hot off the 49–27 win over Georgia Tech this past Saturday; the good news keeps on coming for fans of the Boston College football program.
Landing one of the biggest commitment flips in program history, Bill O’Brien flipped Xaverian Brother’s William Wood from Penn State. Rated a four-star prospect by ESPN, the Westwood, Massachusetts, native decommitted from Penn State on October 18th after a four-game losing streak by the Nittany Lions. On the same day, Wood announced his commitment to Boston College.
Will Wood, 4-Star quarterback for Xaverian Brothers, MA
This comes as a large shock to the college football world, as less than a week ago Boston College and former General Manager Kenyatta Watson split ways for unspecified reasons after the week five loss to SMU. Now, despite having no permanent general manager, Bill O’Brien and Boston College have landed their biggest commitment from a high school prospect in recent memory.
O’Brien, often criticized by fans and pundits alike, has been under heavy fire for being unable to retain top-level talent in Massachusetts. Examples like Tabor’s Peter Bourque, a four-star quarterback prospect hailing from Marion, Massachusetts, who is committed to Virginia Tech, or Notre Dame’s Boubacar Traore, a West Roxbury, Massachusetts, four-star who was previously committed to Boston College before being scooped up by Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish.
Therefore, Wood’s commitment means that much more amidst the historical struggles O’Brien has had pertaining to Massachusetts talent.
“For me, I have decided that it’s best to stay home and play for Coach Bill O’Brien and the Boston College Eagles,” Wood stated in his commitment announcement.
Coming off three consecutive Massachusetts Division I State Championships, Wood has gone toe-to-toe with top Massachusetts talent, including five-star quarterback Chris Vargas from Saint John’s Prep, another recruit BC was unable to land.
Wood, a 2027 graduate, will arrive at Boston College next fall and will likely back up redshirt senior and current starting quarterback Mason McKenzie, if McKenzie chooses to return to Boston College and exercise his final year of collegiate eligibility. Even if McKenzie does return, it only gives Will Wood more time to develop under senior leadership and O’Brien.
It remains to be seen whether Wood will challenge McKenzie for the starting job come next fall; however, the fact remains that this is a momentum-shifting commitment for Boston College amidst all their recent struggles. If Wood is willing to come to Chestnut Hill, it can open the door for many more Massachusetts and New England recruits to do the same.