Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht lands on the 2026 watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
The 2026 Penn State Nittany Lions season will go as far as Rocco Becht is able to make it go. One of the things that is getting lost in the shuffle of positivity around the Penn State program is how much new there is.
Not only is Matt Campbell the new coach, but there are new receivers, new running backs, new offensive linemen, new defensive linemen, new safeties, new cornerbacks- basically, every position on the roster is new. One of the most important is at quarterback.
Becht assumes the role of the next Penn State quarterback, a position that is filled every year with so much hype, but rarely lives up to it. Every year, the quarterback play is regarded as a disappointment.
Becht and Campbell is are trying to change that narrative and change it quickly.
The preseason awards circuit hasn't been great for Penn State, but it's been as expected. The Nittany Lions checked in as the No. 18 team in the AP poll and haven't had many watch list recipients. That ended with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Becht landed on this watch list headed into the 2026 season. This award is given to the best upperclassman quarterback who exemplifies not only on-field prowess but also off the field; he holds himself in high character.
Becht is competing with the best of the best in the nation for this award. Players like Julian Sayin, Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, and many more guys are all up for it.
To say this is a high-priority award for Becht to win would probably be a lie, and honestly, it will be pretty hard for him to get it done.
There will be a lot of growing pains early on for the quarterback and this offense as they all get used to playing for a new team in a new environment. The only hope is that by the time USC comes to Happy Valley in the middle of October, they are clicking on all cylinders.
Becht was a four-year starter at Iowa State, and he was average to good throughout his whole career there. He is 800 yards short of 10,000 for his career, along with 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.
His best year was his junior year, when he threw for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns. It looked like he was going to be elite heading into his final year at Iowa State, but it never panned out for him.
Rocco Becht is getting a new and fresh start for the Nittany Lions and if he takes advantage of it, maybe he wins an award. However, it is far more important for him and his coach to turn Penn State back into a winning program and being immortalized in eastern Pennsylvania forever.
