6 College Football Programs to Watch for 4-Star QB Peter Bourque After Michigan Decommitment

Peter Bourque’s recruitment is back in play. The four-star quarterback and top-100 national prospect announced Tuesday evening that he has withdrawn his August 2025 commitment to Michigan, opening the door for a new wave of suitors as the 2027 cycle heats up.

The Wolverines’ seismic offseason triggered the split. After Michigan fired head coach Sherrone Moore for cause—Moore was later arrested—the program lured longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to Ann Arbor. The staff overhaul left Bourque, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound signal-caller from Tabor Academy (Mass.), without the coaches he originally pledged to join.

Whittingham inherits a roster in flux and, more pressing, a quarterback board that now has a blank space at the top. Whittingham never signed a top-20 class during his tenure at Utah, and the Midwest recruiting battleground is steeper than the Mountain West slopes he previously navigated. Michigan will now restart its search for a franchise quarterback in the 2027 group.

Bourque, meanwhile, will spend the spring and summer touring campuses. Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Washington have already extended invitations since December, according to multiple reports. ESPN’s Eli Lederman adds that Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina are monitoring the Massachusetts native as well.

All six programs enter the chase with varying degrees of stability. Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Florida will debut new head coaches this fall. Georgia returned to the College Football Playoff under Kirby Smart, while Washington kept Jedd Fisch on Montlake. North Carolina, under first-year head coach Bill Belichick, is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2026 season.

Each school currently lacks a quarterback commit in the 2027 class, making Bourque an even more coveted target. During his undefeated junior season he completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 2,241 yards and 18 touchdowns, adding 688 rushing yards and 15 scores. The performance earned him Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Massachusetts and the No. 86 overall ranking in the 247Sports Composite, slotting him as the No. 6 quarterback nationally and the top prospect in the state.

With official visits on the horizon, Bourque has the potential to become the crown jewel of whichever offense he ultimately chooses to lead.