How 4-Star QB Brandon Wimbush's Flip to Notre Dame Impacts Recruiting Landscape

Notre Dame’s 2015 recruiting class received a huge boost Tuesday afternoon when 4-star quarterback Brandon Wimbush announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish.

The 6’2”, 205-pound New Jersey product had been committed to Penn State since May. However, his flip comes on the heels of an official visit he took to South Bend last weekend for Notre Dame’s thrilling 17-14 win over Stanford.

"It was awesome," Wimbush told Ryan Bartow of 247Sports of his visit. "I really enjoyed it."

So what does his pledge do for Notre Dame’s class, and where does Penn State go from here?

Impact for Notre Dame

Getting a quarterback in the 2015 class is huge, but getting a player who seems like a perfect fit for Brian Kelly’s offense makes this a monster pull for Kelly and his staff. 

As ESPN’s Gerry Hamilton points out, Wimbush possesses similar traits to current Irish starter Everett Golson, whose reemergence at quarterback has catapulted the Irish to a 5-0 start and a No. 5 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll (via ESPN.com).

His coach at St. Peter’s Prep, Rich Hansen, told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports that his star player is a great fit for the Irish.

"They're getting a three-way quarterback," Hansen told Wiltfong. "He has a great arm, has terrific feet and a high football IQ."

Notre Dame’s class ranking jumped four spots to No. 11 overall with the addition of Wimbush. Additionally, Wimbush, who is ranked as the No. 70 player overall in the 2015 class, becomes the highest-rated pledge in the Irish’s class.

Adding an elite signal-caller will also help Kelly and his staff pursue other talented skill players. Among the top targets remaining for the Irish in this cycle are 4-star California receivers Equanimeous St. Brown and Ykili Ross, 4-star tight end and UCLA commit Aliz’e Jones and 4-star running back Soso Jamabo—all of whom are prospects who have Notre Dame among their top choices at this time.

With a potential quarterback of the future in the fold, the addition of Wimbush could be akin to the fuse being lit on a stick of dynamite for the Irish’s recruiting efforts moving forward.

Where Does Penn State Turn? 

As big as Wimbush’s arrival is for the Irish, his departure is a crushing blow to Penn State’s 2015 class.

James Franklin and his staff have done a terrific job putting together a Top 10 class. However, that group just lost its headliner.

While Franklin will have touted passer Christian Hackenberg around for at least one more season, the picture behind him is far from settled.

Four freshmen are listed behind Hackenberg on the depth chart, according to Ourlads. Two of them—Michael O’Connor and Trace McSorley—were members of the Lions' 2014 class.

Also, Wimbush was one of only five quarterbacks in the 2015 class to earn an offer from Franklin, which means that the Lions are unlikely to land a quarterback who was on their initial list of top targets.

For Franklin, this development likely shifts his attention to the 2016 cycle—especially if the Lions do come up empty at the quarterback spot in 2015.

This puts added pressure on Penn State to land a marquee passer next year, with 4-star standouts such as Dwayne Haskins, Jarrett Guarantano, Jake Zembiec and Brandon McIlwain representing the Lions' top targets among the nation’s crop of junior quarterbacks.

Franklin may also choose to explore the JUCO ranks or even the possibility of adding a transfer in the offseason.  

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Overall Impact

No position impacts the foundation of a school’s recruiting class more than quarterback.

Notre Dame’s class is likely to receive a boost of momentum, while Penn State will have to go back to the drawing board in search of finding a suitable replacement for Wimbush.

In fact, the top 20 prospects in the 2015 class in each of the pro-style and dual-threat categories have already made a commitment. Torrance Gibson, a 4-star passer with a Penn State offer who is classified as an athlete, is a heavy lean to Big Ten rival Ohio State at this time, per B/R's Kynon Codrington.

Considering that Penn State wasn’t heavily involved with any other quarterbacks in the 2015 cycle, it will be interesting to monitor whether or not Franklin offers another 2015 passer or aggressively pursues a committed target. 

However, given the current options, it's likely that Penn State chooses to turn the page and focus on bringing in an elite passer in its 2016 class. 

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.