Agonizing.

That’s how Xaverian four-star senior quarterback Will Wood described his decision in the late hours of Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

Deciding between Boston College and Penn State, Wood ultimately chose Penn State, informing both the Nittany Lions and Eagles on Thursday before formally announcing it on Friday afternoon.

We caught up with Wood before he even made it official to talk about the decision and the entire process leading up to it…

How nerve-wracking was the entire process? Now that it’s over, how relieved are you?

“First, I was really excited about it. I saw a bunch of guys getting offers (when I was younger) and was like ‘oh, I wish I had all these offers.’ It started off like that, then when you start getting offers it’s like, ‘oh shoot. Eventually I’m going to have to make a decision.’ That became extremely tough. It went down to the wire. It was tough. It was between Boston College and Penn State. I just had to go with what I felt was right. It was extremely tough decision.”

I know you met with BC on Wednesday night…how hard was it to not be the local guy that picks the local school? Did you ever think about possibly being ‘the guy’ at BC?

“It was extremely tough because I’m really close with Coach O’Brien. We had a great meeting last night. Coming out of it, I was like ‘shoot, this decision is super tough.’ I thought about it for a couple hours, woke up and I didn’t feel any pressure anymore. I just kind of knew what was right. I think Penn State kind of knew because I talked to their QB coach late on Wednesday night.”

What made Penn State the right choice?

“Obviously, it’s Penn State and everyone is going to be like ‘oh, you’re going to Penn State,’ but that’s really not why. I fell in love with the coaching staff, how they teach and the culture they’ve built there. I just love the place and I have family like, an hour, hour and a half away. So, it’s not like I’m going to be really far from home. I’ve been to Pennsylvania a ton throughout my childhood, so I’m really familiar with that part of the country.”

How important was it to you to get this done now to be able to focus on your final season at Xaverian with a four-peat on the line?

“It was very important so I could focus on what we’re trying to do this season. And, especially with the way quarterback recruiting is now, you can’t really wait that long to make a decision or they’ll just move on from you. Initially, I was going to wait until official visits, but once I got down to my top two-ish – and Arkansas was very close too – I wanted to accelerate the decision so I can help recruit the class around me.”

Being a New England guy and going to a place with so much name cache like Penn State, did representing Massachusetts in the Big 10 play a factor as well?

“I wouldn’t say it’s a factor. But, obviously the name Penn State means a ton if you grow up in the Northeast. You most likely want to go play there or get recruited by Penn State. The name brand is huge, but more importantly it was the people inside the building that really got me to commit there.”

For disappointed BC fans, what message do you have for them?

“It was really, really close. I love that staff. I love Coach O’Brien. We talked after I committed to Penn State and he was very supportive. I’ll always be a BC fan. I have a ton of respect for what they’re going to be able to do. It’s hard to tell someone no, but you have to and my heart told me Penn State.”

For ecstatic Penn State fans, who are they getting in Happy Valley?

“I’m fired up. You’re going to get a guy who loves everything about football, who loves Penn State, who is 100% locked in. That’s why this decision probably took longer than Penn State fans probably expected, but I wanted to make sure I was 100% bought in. I’m all in and I’m going to go start recruiting this class tomorrow.”