A transaction that’s felt inevitable for weeks has come to fruition: former Iowa State QB Rocco Becht is coming to Penn State.
Hayes Fawcett of On3Sports first reported that Becht was committing to PSU late Sunday afternoon, giving Penn State its starting QB for 2026.
The connection here is obvious.
Becht played at Iowa State for four seasons, and Matt Campbell was his head coach for all four.
Last month, Penn State hired Campbell as its next head coach, and almost immediately, people speculated that Becht could be coming with him.
That speculation rapped up New Year’s Day, when it was reported that Penn State QB Ethan Grunkemeyer planned to enter the transfer portal. The portal opened at midnight Jan. 2, and a minute after, it was reported that Becht had planned to visit Penn State.
“Now that he’ll officially be in the portal, a deal at Penn State reuniting him with his former coaching staff could come together quickly,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported early Friday morning.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The deal ended up coming together in less than 72 hours.
The best year Becht had at ISU was in 2024, when he threw for 25 touchdowns compared to just nine interceptions, had 3,505 passing yards and helped Iowa State to a Big 12 Championship Game appearance.
With star receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins off to the NFL— along with a torn labrum suffered in the middle of the year— Becht regressed this past season.
He ended the year with fewer yards (2,584), touchdowns (16) and the same amount of interceptions. Again, it’s hard to know what Becht would have done had he been healthy.
It’s also hard to know how much the labrum surgery which Becht underwent in December will affect him.
In any case, Penn State has its starting QB, and it will be interesting to see what the offense around Rocco Becht looks like, as well.
