How QB Rocco Becht is leading Penn State as an extension of Matt Campbell
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Becht transferred to play for Campbell and be his on-field extension.
- Becht adapted his leadership to fit returning Penn State players.
- Campbell’s trust signals confidence Becht can shape the season.
Rocco Becht fielded some interest after he decided he was leaving Iowa State. But there was never really any doubt about where he would end up.
“If I’m gonna be honest, I definitely felt like, when (Penn State head coach Matt) Campbell took this job, this was probably the number one priority, that I wanted to come here and play for him for my fifth year,” Becht said Wednesday in the Beaver Stadium recruiting lounge. “... I had built relationships with a bunch of the guys here already, and I didn’t want to ruin any of those and truly just a great coaching staff was brought here, and I wanted to be a part of that at a great university.”
The quarterback is one of many to join Penn State from Iowa State, where Campbell was the head coach, but he may be the most important. Some of that is because of how good the senior quarterback is, but most of it is about what his addition meant for the program — and how it could change year one for Campbell.
Becht is set to help Campbell begin the new era of Penn State football and has already helped him transform the program in the head coach’s vision.
He’s the son of an NFL player with the work ethic to back it up, according to those who know him best, and that’s part of why everything backs him so much — he’s a leader who puts in as much effort as he asks of others. And even though he’s recovering from labrum surgery on his non-throwing shoulder (he’s able to begin throwing again on Saturday), he’s still leading. Tight end Ben Brahmer, who has spent the last three years with Becht at Iowa State, said that is an important piece of the transition to Happy Valley.
“I think that’s huge for him right now, because obviously he can’t throw too much right now,” Brahmer said. “But it’s been great to watch him lead the quarterbacks as well as the rest of the offense. ... He’s going to be a great player here, and he’s going to be a great leader as well.”
Still, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that he would immediately be accepted by the returning Nittany Lions in that regard — especially with several strong voices, like offensive linemen Anthony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins, returning.
Despite that, he was accepted by the Nittany Lions and has adapted how he is as a leader to the new program he’s going to be the face of this season.
“I think they just had open arms. I kind of laid back the first couple weeks. I didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes,” Becht said. “And I was able to experience and look at how Cooper Cousins led, how Donkoh led, how some of those other guys led in the facility and around the program and off the field. And so I’ve kind of adapted a little bit.
“But I think that’s what you’ve got to do as a leader, anywhere you go, whether it’s a new job, a new football team, whether you get traded or you transfer. You always have to adapt to the team that you’re going to.”
Becht’s arrival gives the football program its leader, but also gives Campbell an extension of himself in the locker room and on the field.
The new head coach has emphasized that the quarterback of his teams needs to be tied at the hip with him. They have to exemplify the kind of attributes he possesses and wants out of his team — the grittiness and toughness he believes it takes to win games.
Unsurprisingly, the quarterback is in lockstep with his head coach in that regard, too, and it’s helped him build up his own self belief.
“It gives great confidence and trust that he has [that] in myself to go out there and play and go out there and lead on and off the field,” Becht said. “But I think everywhere you go, any school, I think the head coach and the quarterback have to be head to head, because if you’re not, you don’t have the same goals, you don’t have the same standards, you’re not going to be successful. ... I think that’s why having that relationship, having that bond with your head coach as a quarterback, is super special.”
It’s no surprise that Becht, in an effort to begin building with the Nittany Lions, made sure he got as many phone numbers as he could for returning players from Penn State general manager Derek Hoodjer.
He wanted to start building trust and relationships for what will be his final year of college eligibility, and doing that should help him maximize the season, not only from a personal standpoint, but also from a team success standpoint. Because, ultimately, that’s why he and the rest of the Iowa State players are with the Nittany Lions.
They believe this is the best place for them to be for their football presents and futures, and that they can achieve the type of high level team success that is expected of Penn State.
And, by virtue of that, they must believe in Becht — Campbell’s hand-picked quarterback who will determine what this year brings for Penn State.
