Penn State’s last five starting quarterbacks have started at least three seasons for the Nittany Lions (Matt McGloin: 2010-12, Christian Hackenberg: 2013-15, Trace McSorley: 2016-18, Sean Clifford: 2019-2022, Drew Allar: 2023-25), but that won’t be the case in 2026.
Enter Rocco Becht, who spent the last four seasons at Iowa State, including three as starter. Not only will he break the streak of multi-year starters in Happy Valley, he’ll be the first transfer quarterback to start for the Nittany Lions.
It marks a transition into the next era of Penn State football, led by head coach Matt Campbell, who offered nothing but praise for his long-time gunslinger.
“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 Wednesday. “And I think that’s even more today than ever in college athletics.”
That chemistry was forged over years of experience together with the Cyclones, where Campbell discovered the true make-up of his quarterback. Becht completed 714 of 1,177 passing attempts for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns in Ames, good for No. 2 in program history in career passing touchdowns and No. 3 in career passing yards.
Becht had a chance to overtake Brock Purdy and etch his name into the top spot in both metrics in the fall, but he opted to follow his head coach and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser instead, leaving the school he committed to out of high school.
“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.”
Becht experienced all the highs and lows of being a college quarterback during his tenure with Iowa State, seeing devastating losses and triumphant victories. Boasting a 6-0 record in 2024, Becht led the Cyclones into a matchup against UCF, looking to remain perfect on the year.
Two early pick-sixes — one on a misfire and one on a tipped ball — put his team into an early hole. But how he responded, leading the team on an 11-play, 80-yard, game-winning drive, is what stood out most to Mouser, who was in his first year as offensive coordinator.
“He had almost, like, one of those out-of-body experiences, where the guy willed us down the field, snuck it in with 22 seconds left,” Mouser said.
Becht’s numbers aren’t the prettiest — his completion percentage was at or below 50% in four games last year, and he’s thrown some questionable interceptions in critical moments — but his resiliency proves to be infectious.
“He’s a guy that, until the last second ticks off, you’re always going to feel like you have a chance,” Mouser said.
The offensive coordinator said Becht has “tight end blood,” which likely comes from his father Anthony, who played the position at West Virginia and with several NFL teams. That competitive spirit is evident in other aspects as well.
Mouser described him as someone who’s always asking for a rematch when he loses and always “finds a way to win” on the golf course, even through questionable means.
“He’s a cheater in golf,” Mouser said. “I’ve made that very public.”
Last season, Becht was playing with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder and was getting shots in his arm every day before practice for the final four weeks of the season. He willed the team to a 3-1 record down the stretch, including a narrow 24-19 loss to Arizona State.
Off the field, his leadership style involves connecting with teammates. He “lives in the training room,” gets extra throws in with offensive players and spends time with the defenders as well to foster a sense of community.
“He won’t be outworked,” Mouser said. “He wants to do whatever he can do to help the team win … He checks all the boxes. From a character standpoint, I have a daughter, and if she marries someone like Rocco, it’ll be the win of the century.”
