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In 2024, his best season as Iowa State's quarterback, Rocco Becht completed just 43.5 percent of his passes against UCF. He threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown and another that led to a touchdown.
But with 1:48 left on the clock and no timeouts, Becht led the Cyclones on an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, on which he scored himself, for a 38-35 comeback win. Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who called plays for the Cyclones that day, still looks at that drive as Becht's hallmark.
“The guy truly put the offense on his back,” Mouser said. “We had one last drive to beat UCF, we were undefeated at the time, we're 6-0, and he had one of those out-of-body experiences for me where the guy willed us down the field."
We bring this up because Becht recently had another artifical ceiling imposed upon him. The Athletic released college football quarterback rankings for 2026, dividing 138 potential starters into tiers. As ESPN did before, The Athletic mid-tiered Becht among his peers.
The Athletic ranked Becht, who will be a fourth-year starter, as a Tier 3 quarterback nationally and 24th overall. The tier encompasses a mix of veterans and newcomers with "bright futures" and "elite traits" but who also haven't "consistently played to their physical potential."
That isn't necessarily Becht, who has played above his physical potential. He's a career 61-percent passer who isn't going to land highly on yards-per-completion or QB ratings charts. In fact, as ESPN noted, his career completion rate is right around those of the Penn State quarterbacks before him.
But here's where the evaluation gets interesting. The Athletic's quarterback rankings include anonymous comments from coaches and team personnel. Of Becht, the views skewed.
A Power 4 offensive coordinator told The Athletic that he's "kinda off the Rocco Becht train," adding that the quarterback has limits. "He's got a very high floor, but then a pretty low ceiling as well," the coordinator said.
Meanwhile, a Big Ten general manager assessed Becht's veteran qualities as his most important. "The guy has won how many games? He's in a similar system [as Iowa State]. He has led. He's a little bit underrated. OK, he's not as talented as those other guys, but he can win you 10 games and take Penn State to the Playoff."
And that's exactly why Campbell brought Becht with him from Iowa State. Certainly, there are concerns. Becht's best single-season completion rate is 62.9 percent. He has never averaged more than 13.5 yards per completion. His career QBR is 67.8.
Further, Becht is coming off surgery to his non-throwing shoulder and will go only as far as his health allows. Those are real physical and statistical issues.
However, Becht is the quintessential intangibles quarterback. He won 26 games in three years at Iowa State, becoming the winningest quarterback in program history. He led the Cyclones to their first 10-win season in history and an appearance in the 2024 Big 12 title game. Iowa State was that close to joining Penn State in the CFP.
"He's as tough and as competitive as any football player I've ever been around," Campbell said.
Becht doesn't have the arsenal of tools, size or arm strength of the game's top-ranked quarterbacks, like Trinidad Chambliss, Dante Moore and CJ Carr. But it's instructive to note that Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana ranked 17th on The Athletic's list last preseason.
For Campbell, a coach who might overvalue intangibles, Becht is the right quarterback in Year 1 at Penn State.
"Rocco was a huge piece of why we were able to climb out of the hole at Iowa State," Campbell said. "His his leadership and his humility, and I think just his toughness and grit, were huge pieces of why we had the success we did.
"Some of the greatest moments in the program history were under Rocco. When you talk about having the ball in his hand at the end of a football game, no matter what happened the last three and a half quarters, that's a guy that you want with the ball in his hand. I think he's proven it with videotape evidence."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/pennstate as Penn State's Rocco Becht Keeps Fighting the 'Low Ceiling' Judgment.
