Iowa State Cyclones Keeping Key Player Will Be Important With Rocco Becht Leaving

The Iowa State Cyclones must prioritize keeping a talented young quarterback following the loss of Rocco Becht.

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) walks off the field after the Cyclones defeat the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones suffered a significant blow on Saturday with the loss of their star quarterback, Rocco Becht, to the transfer portal. Now, the team has some significant uncertainties at the most critical position on the field. 

After three impressive seasons with the Cyclones, the decision for Becht to enter the transfer portal was undoubtedly a tough one. However, with his head coach and positional coaches leaving, it should come as no surprise. 

While there are a number of talented quarterbacks who have already entered the portal, Becht is going to be one of the top options. The junior is not coming off a stellar campaign in 2026, but that was mainly because of injury. He tried to play through some injuries but was clearly not the same quarterback following the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats. 

Now, Becht will be entering the portal and will likely be highly sought after. While teams will undoubtedly be interested, it will likely be the Penn State Nittany Lions who will be favored to land him until proven otherwise. The signal caller staying with his coaches and going to a prestigious program to end his college career makes a lot of sense, and he would be set up for success there. 

With Becht leaving Iowa State, the team now must figure out what their quarterback room is going to look like. New head coach Jimmy Rogers could look to the portal for an answer at the position, but he should also prioritize keeping a talented young player at the position with the program. 

Retaining Manske Now Critically Important

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With Becht leaving, the favorite in the clubhouse to be the starting quarterback for the team now is Alex Manske. While that could change if the team brings in a veteran in the transfer portal, Manske was a highly regarded recruit and worked his way up on the depth chart last year to the backup role. 

Since Rogers is unfamiliar with Manske and vice versa, it will be interesting to see if Manske is perceived as the starter in the new era, and also if he decides to stay. If given the opportunity to be the starter, he would likely remain with the program, but that will be a decision that Rogers and the coaching staff will have to make. Overall, following the loss of Becht, it is essential for Rogers as of now to keep Manske with the program. 

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