There have been a lot of great nicknames throughout the history of quarterbacks.
Joe Namath was “Broadway Joe” for his love of the New York nightlife.
Kenny Stabler was nicknamed “The Snake” for his ability to slither away from defenders.
Tom Brady is known to some as “Tom Terrific” for… well, that one shouldn’t need much explaining.
Penn State QB Rocco Becht is known as “Mr. President.”
Ok, ok. Maybe only Brett Eskildsen calls him that.
But there’s a reason for it.
“He’s really about that,” Eskildsen, who emerged as one of Becht’s favorite receiving targets at Iowa State and transferred to Penn State along with Becht, told reporters after Saturday’s Blue-White Practice. “I mean, no matter what it is in his process, whether it’s off the field, whether it’s in the training room, nutrition, he’s always holding himself and holding everyone else to the standard of excellence. So just him holding us to the standard. And being an example for all of us is awesome.”
‘HIS TRUCK IS ALWAYS THE LAST ONE’
Becht wasn’t able to do much on the field this spring, but that hasn’t stopped him from working.
“Every time I’m in the facility,” running back Carson Hansen,who played with Becht for three seasons at Iowa State before joining him at Penn State, told reporters, “he’s always the last one to leave the facility. He’s always working his butt off, and his truck is always the last one in the parking lot.”
Perhaps the biggest display of Becht’s leadership took place last season.
It was Becht’s worst year statistically (16 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 2,584 yards), but there was a good reason for that.
“This poor guy,” former Iowa State and current Penn State coach Matt Campbell told reporters in Feburary.
Becht tore his labrum and went through a lot of pain to push through it.
“He had to get shot up every Tuesday and Wednesday just to practice the last four weeks,” Campbell said, “and the guy gave us every chance to win every one of those games, every step of the way.”
This is part of what led to Campbell describing Becht as “one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever been around.”
‘HE ALWAYS PICKS US UP’
Becht leads by example by being the last to leave the facility, and his teammates have noticed his ability to lead vocally, as well.
“Whenever we’re in a drought,” Hansen said, “he always picks us up. He’s always positive. When things are looking down, he always picks everyone’s head up and just keeps moving forward… “He has the poise in the moment, you know, to make those plays in the moment. I think he does a great job of that, staying level-headed in the game. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low.”
Rocht established himself as a leader in Ames, and now, he’s had to do it in State College.
For Becht, adjusting is part of the game.
“I think that’s what you’ve got to do as a leader,” Becht told reporters in February. “Anywhere you go, whether it’s a new job, a new football team, whether you get traded or you transfer. You always have to adapt to the team that you’re going to.”
Campbell feels Becht has adjusted well.
“Every day you pass here at four o’clock, and he’s got the entire receiving core, tight end core, meeting with those guys and going over practice,” Campbell said last week.
Health-wise, Campbell is confident Becht will “be ready to rock and roll.”
“I think the fact that we’ve gotten this much out of him was way ahead of where we thought we would have been,” Campbell said. “So I think that’s really big for him.”
THE NUMBER ONE GOAL
Becht only has one season of eligibility left, and for Hansen, the No. 1 goal is to reach the top of the college football mountain before its over.
“He wants for this team (to win) the national championship, and that’s that’s what our goal is,” Hansen said. “And I think he’s done a great job of doing that and pressing forward. He’s done a great job and I can’t wait for him for this season, and his development keeps going forward.
Penn State opens the 2026 season against Marshall Sept. 5 at Beaver Stadium at a time and channel to be determined.
