Matt Campbell mostly avoided making headlines at his inaugural Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on Tuesday. However, he wasn't quite so measured when talking about redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Manske’s return to health.
Campbell informed reporters that Manske, a former four-star, has been cleared to participate in fall camp after missing the entire spring while dealing with a “medical condition” that forced him to recover at his home in Iowa.
I think where we won tremendously was that Alex really got cleared [to participate in offseason drills] right around the first of June,” Campbell told reporters during the beat writer session ahead of his trip to the podium. “There was a process back, and by July 1, he was actually fully cleared for football. He's been throwing.”
“He's had the opportunity to go through the majority of our summer program, and he will be ready to go and fully cleared as we start fall camp. So I think that is a monumental win because Alex certainly — we believe in what his talent level is.”
Matt Campbell calls Alex Manske’s return a ‘monumental win’
Matt Campbell brought most of his quarterback room from Iowa State to Penn State this offseason, importing redshirt senior starter Rocco Becht and former four-star backup Alex Manske. However, he and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser spent most of the spring teaching the offense to new QBs Connor Barry, Kase Evans, and Peyton Falzone.
Becht spent his spring recovering from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, but at least he was in Happy Valley. Manske was away, taking part in meetings over Zoom. Yet, even with so much time away from the program, he has the clear lead for the QB2 role on the depth chart heading into fall camp, and that’s massive news for Penn State.
Alex Manske is Penn State’s clear QB2 and may be the heir-apparent
Becht has been a bit of an iron man as a three-year starter for Campbell. He played much of last season with dueling shoulder injuries, one of which required postseason surgery. Penn State can fairly safely bank on him making it through much of the year.
But if Becht does go down, Manske will need to be ready because there isn’t much else Campbell and Mouser should feel good about counting on in the QB room. Evans and Falzone are true freshmen, and Barry is a D3 transfer, making a massive jump up from Christopher Newport University.
With questions about Manske’s health, QB2 looked like a real weakness for Penn State. Now that Manske is back, calling it a strength would be a stretch, but it’s at least not such an unknown. Along with spending a year in the system, Manske played in three games for Iowa State last year, attempting five passes against South Dakota State.
The 6-foot-3 passer from Algona, Iowa, was the No. 25 QB in the 2025 class. Though not an elite recruit, Campbell and his staff have an elite track record of development at the position, most notably for their efforts with Brock Purdy.
So, Manske may not just be the answer at QB2 this year. He could be QB1 in 2026. And if Campbell isn’t going to dive into the portal to find Becht’s replacement, he’ll need to be sure Manske can handle Big Ten competition. He’ll likely see time in a few games, but fall camp is probably his best opportunity to find out.
If he is "the guy" that will free up Penn State to fill other holes on the roster, rather than investing in a veteran portal QB. That could be a huge swing for the 2027 Nittany Lions, and could be why Campbell went as far as to call his return a "monumental win."
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