Jake Waters, the top-rated junior college quarterback in the country, announced today that he will enroll at Kansas State, choosing the Wildcats over Penn State.

“It’s been a hard decision,” Waters said. “I’m going to do what’s best for me and what’s in my gut. I’m going to be a student-athlete at Kansas State University.”

The 6-2, 215-pound Waters led Iowa Western Community College to the national junior college championship, completing 73 percent of his passes for 3,500 yards and 39 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

Waters said he had told Penn State coaches that he was leaning toward playing for the Nittany Lions, who for the time being have one quarterback on the roster, Steven Bench. Coach Bill O’Brien visited him earlier this week.

“Just the other day I told the (Penn State) coaches I was pretty much leaning (toward) there,” Waters said. “I just thought it over again and something clicked. God showed me a sign that K-State was the best place for me.”

At Kansas State, Waters will be the front-runner to replace Collin Klein, a Heisman Trophy finalist who made a recruiting call from New York after the Heisman ceremony Saturday night.

He’ll also be able to play in the postseason for the Wildcats. With two seasons of eligibility left and Penn State banned from the postseason for the next three seasons, he wouldn’t have had that opportunity with the Lions.

“That definitely helped,” Waters said. “I didn’t base my decision that much on that. It is definitely awesome to know I can play in the postseason again.”

He said that travel time had little bearing on his decision, even though Kansas State is considerably closer to his hometown of Council Bluffs, Iowa, than State College.

At Penn State, Waters would have competed with Bench during spring practice and played for a team that ranked second in the Big Ten in passing yardage.

“I really liked both schools,” he said. “I connected with both coaching staffs. I could see myself playing at both schools. But at the
end of the day, it was just what I felt in my gut. I had a long talk with the Lord last night. This is the best thing for me as a student and as a player, so I just went with that.”

Christian Hackenberg, one of the top prep quarterbacks in the country, has committed to the Lions, but he can’t enroll until after
graduation in May.

With Waters passing on Penn State, the Lions might shift their attention to Tyler Ferguson, who’s rated as the second-best juco
quarterback in the country.

The 6-4, 210-pound Ferguson played for the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., and threw for 2,615 yards and 22 touchdowns with 12 interceptions this season. He has received scholarship offers from Houston, Akron and
Florida Atlantic.