December 13, 2012 at 12:14 PM

Jake Waters delivered some news Penn State fans didn’t want to hear Thursday morning.

"I'm going to do what's best for me in my gut, and I'm going to be a student-athlete, and I think that's best to be a student-athlete at Kansas State University," Waters said at a press conference.

The nation's top junior college quarterback chose Kansas State over Penn State, leaving coach Bill O'Brien with depth concerns.

Without Waters, Steven Bench remains the only signal caller on the team's roster in the spring. Four-star recruit Christian Hackenberg is on schedule to join the Nittany Lions in the fall.

Iowa Western won the NJCAA National Title this season behind a prolific offense led by Waters. The 6-foot-2 quarterback threw for 3,194 yards in 11 games and also tossed 34 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Waters tweeted O'Brien visited him earlier in the week and even said Penn State was the slight favorite over Kansas State at one point. But that changed by Thursday.

"Just the other day, talking with the coaches, I was pretty much leaning [toward Penn State]," Waters said. "But I just thought it over again and something clicked. I think God just showed me a sign that K-State was the place for me."