Matt Campbell Praises Rocco Becht’s ‘Almost Flawless’ Fall Camp, Shares Other Updates

With fall camp nearing its end, head coach Matt Campbell met with the media inside Penn State’s team meeting room to provide updates entering his debut season in Happy Valley.

Campbell touched on quarterback Rocco Becht’s development, depth at running back and a trio of standout freshmen this offseason.

Here’s what he had to say on Thursday morning.

Becht’s Next Step

Becht has played a lot of college football — he enters the season as the active leader in career starts and career wins nationally. But even heading into his fifth season — fourth as a starter — he’s still making strides in his development.

“I think Rocco’s in a completely different space than I’ve seen him really in his career,” Campbell said. “What Rocco brings to the table is a guy that’s already gone through the highs of college football, the lows of college football.”

Campbell said his gunslinger has been “almost flawless” during fall camp after being limited in the spring following shoulder surgery. Campbell cited his command of situational football and familiarity with offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s playbook.

But the biggest thing Becht has done, according to Campbell, is lead the team. Despite suiting up for a different school surrounded by new teammates, he’s quickly earned the respect of his peers.

“If the entire locker room is willing to fight for the quarterback, then you got a pretty special leader on your hands,” Campbell said. “And I think he’s done a really good job in his competitiveness, his leadership, to come in and really demand that respect of the football team, and I think it’s shown by the way he’s played in fall camp.”

The More The Merrier

Heading into the season, Campbell emphasized the necessity of building deep position groups, particularly in the offensive backfield. After four consecutive seasons with Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton running the show, the Nittany Lions have four running backs poised for meaningful minutes,

“We hope we’re playing for the long haul, and the reality is, at that position you’re going to need a lot of them,” Campbell said.

The running back room features a mix of experienced options and rising contributors, but the first name Campbell mentioned was an unexpected one.

“I think Cam Wallace has had a great camp,” Campbell said. “Really had a great day in the scrimmage on Saturday. Got ones reps, twos reps, threes reps.”

Campbell added that James Peoples has done “a really great job”, and Carson Hansen and Quinton Martin have already proven themselves in game action. What stands out most to the coaching staff is the complete skill set shared across the backfield

“It’s rare that you find tailbacks that can do all the things within the offense,” Campbell said. “They can all pass protect. They can all run. They can all catch. And so we’re excited about that room. I think it’s continued to progress forward. And my guess is we’ll need them all, whether it’s on offense or special teams. All those guys I think will be great factors for us.”

Featured Freshmen 

Arriving after National Signing Day put the new staff on a tight timeline, leaving them to scramble and build Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class on short notice. That recruiting haul was nothing to write home about — it included just 15 total signees and ranked No. 64 nationally, per the 247Sports composite.

Among that small contingent, three players have impressed Campbell since arriving on campus: wide receiver Amarion Jackson, cornerback Josiah Zayas and defensive end Jackson Ford.

Campbell cited Zayas’ pick-6 during the Blue-White Practice in the spring and added that he had a great day during the team’s scrimmage last Saturday. He noted Zayas’ ability to play in a true cornerback or safety role, or as a nickel.

Ford has also made strides during his first offseason in State College, though cracking a deep defensive end room may prove challenging this fall. Campbell hinted at a potential special teams role, saying Ford “can help us in some other ways too.”