When Matt Campbell arrived in Happy Valley, one of the first things he did was make sure that Rocco Becht was coming with him. With Becht, Campbell begins his tenure at Penn State with the most experienced quarterback in college football. Beyond the redshirt senior, though, the line of succession isn’t exactly clear.
Alex Manske also transferred from Iowa State, and despite missing all of spring recovering from an injury, he’s likely going to be QB2 for 2026. Campbell managed to convince three-star Kase Evans to flip his commitment from the Cyclones to the Nittany Lions, too, and he joined four-star Peyton Falzone in the 2026 class. Then, there’s 2027 three-star Will Wood, Campbell’s first addition in a full recruiting cycle.
That’s a deep group vying to be the quarterback of the future, and a bit of a messy one because of the coaching staff change. With the 2028 class, which gives Campbell and his staff more of an opportunity to build durable relationships, Penn State can begin to solidify that room with a blue-chip in-state talent, James Armstrong.
James Armstrong could be Penn State’s next QB of the future
Armstrong, the No. 10 QB in the 2028 class from Hopewell High School in Aliquippa, PA, was at Penn State’s Prospect Camp II on Wednesday. Afterwards, he spoke with Tyler Donohue of Lions247 about his relationship with quarterbacks coach Jake Waters and the message he’s getting from Penn State.
"Really, just the message was that they want me to be their quarterback,” Armstrong told Donohue.
That’s a pretty clear signal that Armstrong is getting from the staff, particularly Penn State quarterbacks coach Jake Waters. It’s also notable coming off last week’s unofficial visit from three-star 2028 QB prospect Drew Sheridan.
Penn State has offered Sheridan, who was at the program’s first prospect camp of the offseason. The 6-foot-2, 171-pound Dearborn, Michigan native is ranked No. 405 in the 2028 class and the No. 33 QB in the class. He’d be a worthwhile target for Campbell and his staff, who have a strong track record of developing QB talent, from Brock Purdy to Becht.
However, Armstrong is a whole different caliber of prospect. He’s the type of QB Campbell needs to be after now that he’s the head coach of Penn State and not Iowa State, and crucially, he’s from PA. Campbell hasn’t done well in the 2027 in-state class, and those struggles got worse on Thursday when three-star cornerback Zachary Gleason flipped to West Virginia.
Arriving in January, Campbell didn’t have much time to build relationships with the 2027 class, and that’s clearly hurt him in PA. Most of the top talent in the state is heading elsewhere. Despite that, Campbell has built a strong class, but going forward, he needs to defend the borders much better. Armstrong, as the No. 4 recruit in PA, is the perfect in-state talent to prioritize, and that seems to be the plan.
At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, the dynamic lefty has all the physical tools to be a difference-maker at the Power 4 level. Of all Penn State’s potential QBs of the future, Armstrong might be the most talented. Going all-in for him could be risky, but it’s the right move for the start of the 2028 class.
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