Penn State football kicked off its spring season on Tuesday, March 24. Head coach Matt Campbell met with the media, discussing his coaching staff, goals for the spring, and injuries currently on the roster.
Among these injured players is quarterback Rocco Becht. Becht received shoulder surgery, fixing a torn labrum in his non-throwing arm. He also dealt with an AC joint sprain in his right arm, which is his throwing arm.
Before the spring session, there was already hopeful news on Becht's recovery timeline. He was expected to start throwing in the middle of the spring and remain no-contact through the season. Things might be pushed up even further for the senior quarterback given Campbell's latest update on Becht's timeline.
"I think Rocco is a little bit ahead of schedule in terms of physically," Campbell said to reporters, according to Daniel Gallen of Lions247. "He was able to get out and do some drill work today, some individual."
Campbell said he anticipates Becht participating in drills, like 7-on-7 and 3-over-2, or routes on air, but will do more of that down the line in the spring.
On the field work is important for multiple reasons. Not only does it get Becht in a rhythm and show positive signs of improvement in recovery, but it's important for him to be out there as a leader.
"He's been throwing now probably for a little over three weeks, which has been really great for him," Campbell shared. "We got to make sure we're slow and right with [Becht] and rather than fast and wrong. But it's certainly huge to have him out there in individual and certainly huge to have him out even today in group, and for those young quarterbacks to be able to watch him. Just to have his leadership on the field, that's been big for us."
As for Becht, who spoke late in February about how he feels about his timeline and getting out there with his new team as soon as possible, said he wants his teammates to physically see him out there in practices or scrimmages and get a feel for who he is on and off the field.
"That thing for me was super valuable, just to get back as soon as I could so I can play with my new teammates," Becht said.