Since arriving in Happy Valley, new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell has brought much of the infrastructure that allowed him to succeed at Iowa State for 10 years with him. That includes defensive coordinator Jon Heacock, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, general manager Derek Hoodjer, and multiple key position coaches.
Now, with most of his coaching staff in place, Campbell and Hoodjer can turn their attention to building out a roster when the transfer portal opens on January 2. With Drew Allar out of eligibility, one of their first priorities will be the quarterback position.
Ethan Grunkemeyer, who started the final six games of the year as a redshirt freshman after Allar suffered a season-ending injury, is one option, but the most obvious choice for Campbell and his staff is to bring Rocco Becht, a three-year starter at Iowa State, to Happy Valley for his final season of eligibility.
Becht announced his intention to enter the portal on Saturday, and Penn State is, understandably, the early favorite to land him out of a loaded transfer portal quarterback market. However, Chris Hummer of CBS Sports reported that Becht is “expected to be a popular option for schools.”
Penn State is the early team to watch here, sources tell @CBSSports. Becht is expected to be a popular option for schools, though. https://t.co/grGhaCTNwB
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) December 20, 2025
Rocco Becht will be highly sought after in the transfer portal
In 2024, Becht led Iowa State to an 11-win season with over 3,500 passing yards. He sustained a passing offense that produced two NFL draft picks at wide receiver, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Without that wide receiver duo in 2025, his numbers tailed off, but Becht was still effective.
The coaching infrastructure that helped Becht produce such a prolific passing attack in 2024 is now all at Penn State. Not only Campbell, but also Mouser, and wide receiver coach and passing game coordinator Noah Pauley.
It seems like an easy decision for Penn State to make. Bring Becht to Penn State for his redshirt senior season, and try to hold onto Grunkemeyer to take over in 2027 as a redshirt junior. Even if Grunkemeyer leaves, the stability that Becht would provide from his familiarity with Mouser’s offense would be valuable as they develop a future option behind him.
However, if Becht is so highly coveted in a QB market that is likely to top out around $5 million, Penn State money could be better spent on the rest of the roster. James Franklin built what was ultimately his final team at Penn State to win the national championship. He loaded the roster with seniors, so Campbell and Hoodjer need to undertake a fairly significant rebuild.
Becht will likely be Penn State’s quarterback in 2026. That’s a good thing. But Penn State should be cautious not to overpay him because the Nittany Lions need more than just a quarterback to compete with Indiana and Ohio State for a Big Ten title.