Penn State football's quarterback room is already shaky with senior Rocco Becht being limited for the spring season due to a shoulder surgery he had after Iowa State's 2025 season ended. On Thursday, March 26, more unfortunate news hit that position room.
Matt Campbell is nothing short of impressed by defensive end Yvan Kemajou
Alex Manske, a redshirt freshman who transferred from the Cyclones and followed head coach Matt Campbell to Happy Valley, is reportedly out for the spring. On3 reported that Manske has an unspecified injury that required recent surgery.
Manske played in three games as a true freshman at Iowa State and had an 80 percent completion rate on four completions for 28 yards. Despite the lack of live game reps for the young quarterback, Campbell trusts Manske to be Becht's prime backup. He also missed 2025 spring practices for the Cyclones.
Quarterback coach Jake Waters, who came with Campbell from Iowa State, said previously that Manske made huge strides as a freshman in terms of physical ability and football IQ.
Following an offseason procedure, Penn State will be without QB Alex Manske this spring. The Nittany Lions were already shorthanded with Rocco Becht limited.
— Sean Fitz (@SeanFitzOn3) March 26, 2026
Big change to the spring storyline.
News: https://t.co/SnlOcx0hEc pic.twitter.com/G48UnZ06X2
Quarterback Alex Manske reportedly missing Penn State football's spring season due to injury
Becht's recovery is in good standing, and is, in fact, ahead of schedule. That doesn't mean he'll be out there immediately for all spring drills. Campbell said he anticipates taking things slow with Becht as to not risk further injury or aggravation of previous issues.
This means Penn State must rely on its depth to carry it through the spring. Becht will not get live reps, though he's already throwing in practice.
One minute of freshman QB Peyton Falzone at Penn State’s practice: pic.twitter.com/DFKVYFx5gP
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) March 26, 2026
The rest of the Nittany Lions' quarterback room consists of veteran transfer Connor Barry and true freshman Peyton Falzone. Kase Evans is another true freshman on the squad expected to get spring reps, especially considering the dwindling quarterback numbers.
All three depth pieces got reps in on Thursday morning, as reported by Joel Haas of StateCollege.com.
Knowing Becht is the starter for the blue and white, these spring reps for Barry, Falzone, and Evans can be extremely useful down the line. Given uncertainties around injuries, whether Becht re-aggravates an injury during the season or Manske is not ready to step up as a backup due to his recovery timeline, these practices are critical for Campbell and his quarterback room.