Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht has been named to the 2026 Maxwell Award Watch List, recognizing one of college football’s most accomplished signal-callers entering the upcoming season. The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding player by the Maxwell Football Club.
Becht arrives in Happy Valley after a historic career at Iowa State, where he rewrote the Cyclones’ record book. He finished his career ranked first in consecutive games with a touchdown pass (22) while placing second in passing touchdowns (64) and 300-yard passing games (6). He also ended his time in Ames among the program’s top four in passing yards (9,274), completions (714), attempts (1,177), completion percentage (60.6), passing efficiency (140.2), total offense (9,773) and touchdowns responsible for (83). He also tied the school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 19.
Beyond the numbers, Becht established himself as one of the nation’s most proven winners. He made 39 consecutive starts, guided Iowa State to 26 victories and engineered seven game-winning drives during his career. His ability to impact games with both his arm and legs was equally impressive, recording 13 career contests with both a passing and rushing touchdown.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.By the end of the 2025 season, Becht stood among an exclusive group of quarterbacks nationally. He was one of just nine FBS quarterbacks with more than 9,200 career passing yards and at least 64 touchdown passes, and one of only six to combine 64 passing touchdowns with 19 rushing scores.
Now leading Penn State into the 2026 season under head coach Matt Campbell, Becht enters the year as one of the premier quarterback in the country leading all returning quarterbacks in wins as a starter.
