Penn State lands experienced Iowa State transfer Rocco Becht, aiming to revitalize the offense. How does his proven production stack up against Big Ten competition?
The Penn State Nittany Lions were expected to have one of the better quarterback situations in 2025.
However, Drew Allar had a slow start to the campaign before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against Northwestern.
Penn State fired head coach James Franklin after a 3-3 start, and the program has undergone a makeover of sorts in recent months.
New PSU head coach Matt Campbell brought in 23 players from Iowa State to help fill out a badly damaged roster after Franklin's termination. One of those transfers is quarterback Rocco Becht, expected to be the Nittany Lions starter next season.
Becht will be bringing plenty of college experience to State College. He's thrown for 9,274 yards, 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in his career.
Zachary Neel of USA Today ranked Becht as the No. 6 quarterback in the Big Ten for 2026.
"One of the most veteran players in the conference now, Becht comes to Penn State along with former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell," Neel wrote.
"He is a very good passer with a great deal of experience and should be exactly what the Nittany Lions need."
Campbell is excited to have Becht join him at PSU, believing the quarterback and head coach need to be on the same page for success.
"I feel that the quarterback and the head football coach have to be tied at the hip, and I feel like they have to be tied at the hip because their leadership is so critical to the entirety of the football program,” Campbell said, via State College.
“And I think that’s even more today than ever in college athletics.”
Campbell believes Becht has the traits to embody the spirit of what PSU demands from its quarterbacks.
“What I believe Penn State football is — integrity, character, class, excellence, grit — he embodies every one of those traits,” Campbell said. “And so to me, I just felt like that was such a critical opportunity for him to finish his career with us.”
How Becht plays in the fall will determine how far Penn State could go. If he plays at an elite level, the Nittany Lions have a chance to make the College Football Playoff.