Penn State QB Rocco Becht staying involved, receivers stepping up & more from spring ball
There are expectations that come with being Matt Campbell’s quarterback. The Penn State head coach wants that player to be an extension of him and his staff — the kind of reliable player they can count on to do and say the right things in the right moments to help lead the program.
And there are few who understand that better than Rocco Becht, who is entering his fifth year with Campbell and his fourth as the program’s starting quarterback. That kind of familiarity could breed complacency, but with Becht, it’s instead made him the extension of the staff Campbell is searching for.
“Anytime you’re watching the quarterback’s growth process from the start of his career to the end of the career, you hope by the time he gets to this last portion of his career, he’s almost the offensive coordinator on the football field,” Campbell said following Tuesday’s spring practice. “He’s got the ability to use his voice to set the standard of, what are the expectations? Not even just what we’re doing, but how we’re doing what we’re doing.”
Becht’s knowledge of what Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser want will never be more important than it is this season. They’re all at a new program after coming to Penn State from Iowa State, and while they have familiarity with the offense and how it’s supposed to look, there are plenty of players on offense that don’t.
And with Becht out, it would be easy to stay on the sidelines and not be involved — but that’s not going to work if the team wants to reach its ceiling in his final season of eligibility. So he’s found a way to stay as involved as possible with the team and specifically the offense.
“The biggest thing he’s doing is standing behind the quarterback every time we take a play and doing the footwork, going through the read, going through the rep,” quarterbacks coach Jake Waters said. “He’s an extra coach on the field right now. In the meeting room, he’s doing an incredible job. I go in there Saturday after practice, and he has every single receiver and tight end in the meeting room talking about routes and what he sees and talking through what he sees to make sure they’re on the same page.”
Young receivers stepping up
Getting that work in with the receivers is going to be crucial as Penn State attempts to build an offense this season. And that’s only complicated even more by the limited availability of projected starters Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen. Without those two, though, there is room for others to step into the void and make their presence felt.
That has been one of the silver linings of their absence thus far this spring.
“And so to be able to evaluate your football team — I don’t know if you could ask for a better situation, for those young guys to be able to step up and show what they can do,” Campbell said. “And honestly, they’ve been impressive so far and so it’s great to see. Iron sharpens iron, and the opportunity to go against some of the best, it’s been awesome for those guys.”
And it’s not just about those young players getting more reps — it’s also about who those reps are against. They’re able to take on the team’s top cornerbacks when the team goes to best on best in practice, and there isn’t much better competition for those players than the likes of Audavion Collins, Daryus Dixson and Zion Tracy.
So when one of those projected starters says someone stands out, it’s worth taking note.
“[Karon Brookins] has most definitely been having a good spring so far,” Collins said. “His range, he can go get it. Most definitely, I’m impressed with him.”
Cornerback void being filled
Collins is expected to be one of the leaders in the cornerback room after A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington II departed for Indiana and Clemson, respectively. He’s stepping up into that role with Tracy as two of the most experienced players in the group, with their voices carrying an increasing amount of weight with both cornerbacks coach Terry Smith and younger teammates.
Both players have embraced and enjoyed that role, with Tracy mentioning it as a chance to pass forward what he knows.
“When I was a youngin’ in the room, older kids, they would be the ones that’s like, ‘OK, this what you got to do for the youngins’,” Tracy said. “...Now all the young guys come ask me something. I know how I want to do it for them, because I remember being in that position.”
While Harris and Washington departed, the cornerback room still didn’t see as much turnover as other position groups this offseason.
And that’s with them having plenty of talent for other teams to try and poach in the transfer portal. Those young players, like Dixson and Jahmir Joseph, could have gone anywhere with how they played last season and the upside they’ve shown. But for Joseph, he had a big determining factor.
“I was leaning with [Terry Smith] and whatever he was gonna do,” Joseph said. “... Terry stayed and we all had a mutual agreement that we should come back. ... I didn’t wanna leave — at all — to be honest. It’s close to home so everything is good. So I’m just glad that T stayed and everything is working out for sure.”
Quick hitters
- Alex Manske has video called in to meetings with the quarterback room while he’s away from the team, according to quarterbacks coach Jake Waters. Manske had a medical procedure that will keep him out for spring ball but should have him back by fall camp.
- LaVar Arrington II has impressed Campbell thus far athletically. He mentioned how much he stood out when Campbell watched a few practices in the lead up to the Pinstripe Bowl in December.
- Campbell said the team has had the MIKE linebacker wear the green dot helmet — which has a headset so the player can hear the coaching staff and get the play call — and that will likely continue at Penn State.
