Rocco Becht didn’t miss time in his final season at Iowa State, but Penn State’s new starting quarterback would have been justified in spending a few games on the sidelines. The veteran, who enters 2026 with the most starts of any active QB in college football, didn’t earn that title without a few scars along the way.
Becht spent most of last season, which included a considerable statistical drop-off from the year prior, with a torn labrum in his left shoulder and a sprained AC joint in his right. While Becht's injuries affected his play and his mindset last season, as he revealed in a media availability at Beaver Stadium on Wednesday, he made sure they wouldn’t linger into his final year of eligibility.
“I think it was the right decision to ultimately get my surgery a day after the season instead of waiting to see if we played in a bowl game or not,” Becht told the assembled reporters. “Because I’d be able to be back sooner, wherever I was going to go, to kind of get the lay of the land and get back out there on the field for my new team, for my new teammates.”
Becht continued, “The process has been going really well. Shoulders feeling great, right shoulder is completely healthy, and the left shoulder is almost there.”
Penn State QB Rocco Becht talks injury and recovery process pic.twitter.com/J0jGdTEl21
— Happy Valley United (@HappyValleyUtd) February 25, 2026
Rocco Becht is nearly back to 100 percent in time for Spring football to begin
Spring camp is set to open for Penn State on March 24, with the Blue-White weekend slated to take place on April 25. Matt Campbell has yet to announce whether or not the team will take part in an intrasquad scrimmage for its Blue-White weekend or what the arrangement will be under the new coaching staff.
Either way, it sounds as though Becht will be at 100 percent by the time spring camp begins next month as he continues to recover from his left shoulder surgery. More importantly, his throwing shoulder is already back to full health, as he revealed on Thursday.
Becht may not quite need as many reps in spring practice as most quarterbacks in college football. With 39 career starts, Becht has more experience than any quarterback still in college football, and in following Campbell from Iowa State to Happy Valley, he’s in a familiar system.
Campbell brought offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser to Penn State as part of his inaugural staff. Mouser spent all 10 years of Campbell’s Iowa State tenure in Ames and called plays for the Cyclones in 2024 and 2025, two of Becht’s three years starting.
The Nittany Lions did lose passing game coordinator and wide receiver coach Noah Pauley to the Green Bay Packers late in the coaching carousel, but with Mouser in place, the verbiage will stay the same, and Becht should be comfortable commanding the offense, which includes his top four pass catchers from last season: Brett Eskildsen, Chase Sowell, Benjamin Brahmer, and Gabe Burkle, along with Iowa State’s leading rusher, Carson Hansen.
With so much familiarity, health was the only thing potentially standing in the way of a prolific senior season from Becht. For now, at least, it seems he’s cleared that obstacle.