Penn State's new signal caller for 2026 is one of the most impactful transfers in the entire conference next year
Penn State's new quarterback, Rocco Becht, is going to have a lot of weight on his shoulders in the 2026 season. He is the prince that Matt Campbell and the new Nittany Lions coaching staff promised.
Becht was one of the key transfers that came with Campbell when he took the Penn State head coaching position.
On Wednesday, On3's Ari Wasserman released his rankings for the most impactful transfers in the B1G, and Becht checked in at the No. 5 spot.
The first spot, which makes sense, is Indiana's new quarterback, Josh Hoover, who has some pretty big shoes to fill on a team looking to repeat. Then it was wide receiver Nick Marsh to Indiana, defensive end John Henry Daley to Michigan, and Koi Perich to Oregon.
Becht could maybe be a bit higher if Penn State were coming off a decent season. Instead, they are coming off a disastrous campaign, and it is just up to Becht to get the train back on track.
At 22 years old, Becht is coming off a very solid career at Iowa State. He was a three-year starter for the Campbell and the Cyclones and was a major culture guy. The honest truth about Becht is that he isn't the best quarterback you will ever see, but he is a solid one.
His personality reminds you of a guy like Tim Tebow, who might not be the most skilled, but he is going to do everything in his power to win. He will take hits, sacrifice his body, play through pain, and put it all on the line.
All that is good, but his heart doesn't necessarily match his skill set. He is coming off of his worst year, where he completed just 60 percent of his passes for 2,584 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
The numbers are fine, and I think the idea of Becht is much bigger than the reality of Becht.
If Penn State can get the Sophomore or Junior version of Becht, they are going to have a ball player at the quarterback position. In those years, he was right around 60 percent completion for north of 3,000 yards and at least 23 touchdowns.
While, again, those numbers aren't going to win the Heisman, they are solid.
Campbell is betting on the chance that in a new environment, Becht can channel his younger self and set the Nittany Lions up for success. If he does, Penn State is going to win a bunch of games. If he doesn't, then the Nittany Lions will fall flat on their face.
I'd agree with Wasserman, Becht is one of the most impactful transfers in the Big Ten this year.
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