Former Michigan QB commit off to play for James Franklin is a blessing in disguise

Back in February, countless headlines were made when 4-star quarterback Peter Bourque decommitted from Michigan. It seemed like the writing was on the wall there, as the elite signal-caller was previously committed with Sherrone Moore in charge.

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Once Kyle Whittingham was hired, Michigan started targeting other QBs and Bourque decided to open things up. Well, he just found a new home, committing to James Franklin and Virginia Tech. His finalists were the Hokies, Georgia and Penn State.

Of late, however, Penn State appeared to pivot its recruiting efforts, focusing instead on Will Wood. The assumption there was that Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions knew that they were going to miss out on Bourque, who previously spurned them when he first committed to the Wolverines. So, why is this a good thing for Whittingham and his new staff in Ann Arbor?

Peter Bourque committing to Virginia Tech over Georgia and Penn State is good news for Kyle Whittingham

It's good news because the Wolverines are not going to have to worry about playing the talented quarterback in the future, as he's off to ACC country to be the signal-caller of the future for Franklin and the Hokies. Had he committed to Penn State, some primetime matchups vs. UM would have been on the way and he no question would have been motivated to show Michigan what it was missing in not having him in uniform for the Wolverines.

Again, no need to worry about that. Bourque, ranked four stars and the No. 7 quarterback in the country per 247Sports, picked up 34 offers throughout his recruitment, with Michigan being the first one to land his services. While he's no longer Ann Arbor-bound, that doesn't mean Whittingham isn't set at the position.

Back on April 14, fellow 4-star quarterback Kamden Lopati officially flipped his verbal pledge from Illinois to UM. This was a get that the Michigan staff is still celebrating, as the Wolverines were targeting the Utah product even back when Bourque still had a seat at the table.

Lopati, a 6-3, 220-pounder, is ranked the No. 9 quarterback in the country per the 247Sports Composite. In addition to Michigan and Illinois, he also had offers from 22 other programs. He's excited about his future in the Big Ten, while Bourque is now ready for his future with Virginia Tech. We wish him well, as Franklin will do his best to develop the youngster. At the same time, seeing him spurn Penn State once again feels like a relief for Michigan as a whole.

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