Matt Campbell is refusing to play redshirt freshman backup quarterback Alex Manske in place of Rocco Becht. The way Campbell has talked about Manske, it sounds as though he’s next up as the program’s starting quarterback in 2027, but if he doesn’t see the field in Big Ten play in 2026, he’d be a major unknown piece in a critical year of Campbell’s rebuild.
Whether it’s in Campbell’s nature to dive into the transfer portal for a QB or not (it wasn’t at Iowa State), Penn State will be labeled as a program in need of a quarterback if Becht finishes out the string in his final season of eligibility, or if Manske plays and struggles.
Penn State can’t fly blind at QB for 2027
Even if Manske plays and plays well, Penn State will still need to add depth to the QB room, so he’ll be heading into the portal, and at that point, why not go big-game hunting? It’s not the likeliest offseason outcome, but it’s within the realm of possibility, and if that’s the route Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer go, they may only need to look a few hours west to find their best option.
Mason Heintschel commanded a pretty penny to return to Pitt after an unexpected true freshman breakout in 2025, landing a $3 million deal from Pat Narduzzi’s program. Pitt had to pay up because a few powerhouses, notably the Miami Hurricanes, were rumored to be working to coax him into the portal, as Mario Cristobal eventually did to now-former Duke QB Darian Mensah.
Narduzzi addressed that situation ahead of Pitt’s Week 8 matchup with No. 1 Miami, saying, "If the NCAA can't get a hold on it and Congress can't get a hold on it, there's nothing you can do… He's playing by his rules, and we'll play by our rules."
Pitt may rethink its QB-heavy roster build after Heintschel’s injury
According to The Athletic’s reporting, Pitt spent $16-20 million on its entire roster this year. Allocating $3 million of that to one player helped the Panthers get to 5-0, but they’re 0-2 since Heintschel suffered a torn ACL against Virginia Tech.
Obviously, any team is going to suffer when its star quarterback goes down, but a team allocating nearly 20% of its entire budget to one player is uniquely susceptible to a major drop-off. As much as Narduzzi seems to like Heintschel, a 2025 three-star recruit from Oregon, Ohio, who held one Power Conference offer and who threw 14 touchdowns to one interception before his injury this season, he may rethink that construction.
It’d be a bit of a risk to enter the portal coming off a major injury, but Heintschel’s value would still be high as a potential difference-maker at the most important position. It just may not be as high as it was, and therefore right in the range where Penn State could theoretically outbid its in-state rival but not get eaten by an even bigger fish swimming in the portal waters.
The portal could be flooded with big names this offseason: Arch Manning, Bryce Underwood, Kamario Taylor, and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. So, off an injury, Heintschel’s status might be a bit different than it was a year ago, and Miami and other portal-heavy powerhouses may have their attention occupied elsewhere.
It’s not likely, but it’s not an impossibility. It’s probably the best path Penn State has to landing a potentially elite QB for 2027, and even with the injury uncertainty, it’s a much safer bet than handing the keys to Manske before you’ve ever seen him drive.
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