Rocco Becht tells Pete Thamel Penn State visit planned, with deal expected

The transfer portal is officially open in college football and will remain open until Jan. 16. The Penn State football program is among those that will use the portal, as it was decimated in the recruiting cycle when James Franklin left. The Nittany Lions waited a long time to finally hire their new head coach, former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell.

On the most recent episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN senior college football writer Pete Thamel said that former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht is on his way to a Penn State visit. On the visit, Thamel noted that he expects Becht to commit, given that he played for Campbell at Iowa State and is familiar with most of the staff in State College. Thamel also said he expects deals to be finalized sooner rather than later.

Becht announced his intentions to transfer shortly after Campbell took the Penn State job. The last three years in Ames have seen Becht find a lot of success. His numbers took a dip in 2025, but the Nittany Lions are in an excellent position to land one of the best quarterbacks in the transfer portal.

It is worth noting that Becht has familial ties to Pennsylvania and the East Coast, with his dad, Anthony Becht, playing high school football in Pennsylvania, college football at West Virginia, and then playing most of his NFL career with the New York Jets.

In 12 games, Becht threw for 2,584 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The year prior, he just surpassed 3,500 yards with 25 touchdowns and the same nine picks. With a 60.5% and 59.4% completion percentage, respectively. The goal is for Campbell to unlock the best of Becht and have him ready to compete in the Big Ten.

Matt Campbell has a tall task in front of him to try and fix the Nittany Lions, but he has dived headfirst into trying to do it. Adding Becht will address a key issue for the Nittany Lions by providing a solid foundation with an experienced quarterback.

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