The 2026 season is set to mark the beginning of a new era for Penn State football, after the Nittany Lions hired former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell to replace James Franklin.
Franklin was fired six games into the 2025 campaign, his 12th season at Penn State, back in October. Interim head coach Terry Smith closed out the 2025 campaign with a 4-3 record and is set to remain on Campbell's staff.
One of the big question marks for Penn State entering the offseason was about the quarterback position, with Drew Allar NFL Draft-bound after his season-ending injury six games into the 2025 season and Ethan Grunkemeyer set to follow Franklin to Virginia Tech.
Penn State ended up landing Rocco Becht, who is aptly following his Cyclones head coach from Ames to State College as the duo set their sights on becoming one of the Big Ten's best stories of the 2026 season.
No returning quarterback has more career collegiate experience than Becht with 26 starts. The Wesley Chapel, Florida native has three seasons of experience as a starting quarterback after getting limited playing time in 2022.
One of the overlooked positives about the addition of Becht is the fact that, despite his wealth of experience and familiarity not only with Campbell but also with former Iowa State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who has taken the same role at Penn State, there hasn't been nearly the same level of hype surrounding him like there was surrounding Allar leading up to what was an extremely disappointing 2025 season, even before his injury.
Becht is not being subjected to such unrealistic expectations, yet he has proven himself to be a respectable quarterback during his collegiate career, posting a passer rating of 140.2 with 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns against 27 interceptions. Though he's not your typical dual-threat quarterback, he has also run for 19 scores.
Yet it's a night and day comparison between how he is viewed heading into 2026 versus how Allar was viewed heading into 2025.
Becht is listed by FanDuel Sportsbook in a tie for 20th in the early Heisman Trophy odds (likely 21st after the Trinidad Chambliss news, for whatever that's worth), whereas Allar was considered among the favorites – and specifically, he was considered the outright top quarterback in the Big Ten.
Becht is listed 18th among quarterbacks, and he's listed behind six Big Ten quarterbacks. Here's a look at the Big Ten quarterbacks who are viewed more favorably, six-plus months before the scheduled start date of the 2026 season.
1. Josh Hoover, Indiana Hoosiers
Heisman Trophy odds: +1100 (third overall, third QB)
Josh Hoover fits the Rocco Becht mold of a seasoned veteran bringing plenty of experience to a new program, as he's also set to enter his fifth season of NCAA FBS competition in 2026.
And after what we saw from Fernando Mendoza following his transfer from Cal to Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers this past season, there is plenty of hype surrounding one of the offseason's highest profile transfers.
Hoover made significant improvements in each of his three seasons leading TCU's offense. But just how much pressure will there be on him to live up to the legend of Mendoza in Bloomington after his Heisman Trophy-winning, national championship-winning perfect 2025 season? Worth noting, Mendoza's Heisman odds were +6000 to start the season.
T-2. Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes
Heisman Trophy odds: +1300 (t-fourth overall, t-fourth QB)
It truly is amazing how some quarterbacks from some schools get a total pass for not winning big games, simply because of the logo on the front of their jersey. It's not a stretch to say that Julian Sayin certainly qualifies as one of them.
His FBS-leading 77% completion percentage, 89.6 total QBR (second), and 32 touchdowns (fourth) were inflated against weak competition, plain and simple. In three games against top 10 opponents, he led the Buckeyes to a 1-2 record. He completed 56 of his 84 passes for 671 yards and just three touchdowns against three interceptions in those games.
The one victory came in August against a clearly overrated Texas team and saw him throw for just 126 yards. Still, he's expected to take a significant step forward in his second year running the Buckeyes' offense, and he still has fellow Heisman favorite Jeremiah Smith to throw the ball to. We're not going to pretend like he's not a threat, especially with so much talent around him.
T-2. Dante Moore, Oregon Ducks
Heisman Trophy odds: +1300 (t-fourth overall, t-fourth QB)
Dante Moore was a lock to be picked in the top five of the NFL Draft this coming April, even after Indiana's drubbing of the Ducks in the College Football Playoff semifinal Peach Bowl game in January.
In fact, he was still projected by many experts to be taken at No. 2 by the New York Jets, after the Las Vegas Raiders presumably select Mendoza at No. 1, and many believe that the prospect of ending up with that particular organization was one of the driving forces behind his decision to return to Eugene.
Moore was an early Heisman favorite in 2025 after his performance in overtime against Penn State in the White Out game, and while he didn't maintain that status, he never drifted from that second tier. Another year under Dan Lanning could be exactly what he needs, not just to take that next step, but to truly solidify himself as a future NFL starting quarterback.
4. Jayden Maiava, USC Trojans
Heisman Trophy odds: +2700 (12th overall, 11th QB)
Jayden Maiava flew somewhat under the radar, in that he finished the 2025 season with the top total QBR (91.2) in the entire FBS but didn't generate a ton of attention throughout the year. But even if you were paying attention, you might not have even known it, as he only had 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and a relatively mediocre 65.8% completion percentage.
We all know that if there's anybody who knows quarterbacking, it's head coach Lincoln Riley, whether you want to talk about what he was able to accomplish with Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, or Jalen Hurts at Oklahoma, or Caleb Williams, both at Oklahoma and USC. Continuity could be key here.
USC quietly finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten this past season, behind the three College Football Playoff qualifiers of Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon, and they would have tied Oregon for third, had it not been for a late rally on the road against Illinois that fell just short. Maiava threw for 364 yards in that game, his most in Big Ten competition yet.
5. Bryce Underwood, Michigan Wolverines
Heisman Trophy odds: +3000 (t-13th overall)
Bryce Underwood faces the unenviable task of having to shake the perception that he is one of the most overrated prospects in college football history, because nothing he did in 2025 justified anything close to the hype he got before he arrived at Michigan.
It's somewhat of a daunting prospect. His greatest asset might be his ability to run the football, yet calling him a true dual-threat quarterback, given his struggles throwing the ball, even feels like a bit of a stretch. His eight completions on 18 attempts for 63 yards and an interception in the Wolverines' first loss to Ohio State in six years certainly didn't move the needle.
We'll give him the benefit of the doubt, however, because he was still a freshman, and his much-maligned head coach ended up in jail just days after the regular season ended. With ex-Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham now in charge in Ann Arbor, it feels like a matter of not if, but how much he will improve in year number two. He certainly needs to make it count, and his ranking here actually feels pretty fair.
6. Demond Williams Jr., Washington Huskies
Heisman Trophy odds: +5500 (19th overall, 17th QB)
Most college football fans probably recognize Demond Williams Jr.'s name from the offseason transfer controversy, considering Washington's status as sort of a mid-pack Big Ten team in no man's land during the Huskies' second season in the conference, but he was quietly effective in his first full season.
While he may be a bit undersized at 5'11", he is an extremely efficient passer, having completed 71.5% of his passes for 4,009 yards and 33 touchdowns against nine interceptions since arriving in Seattle in 2024, in addition to being arguably the Big Ten's true top dual-threat quarterback, with 893 yards and eight touchdowns to his name on the ground.
How much motivation will Williams be carrying following his decision to change course and continue playing football at Husky Stadium for at least another year?
All Heisman Trophy odds remain subject to change.
The Matt Campbell era is scheduled to get underway on Saturday, September 5 at Beaver Stadium, when the Penn State Nittany Lions are set to open up their 2026 season against the Marshall Thundering Herd.