Breaking Down Penn State's Quarterback Situation Through Week 1 of Camp

The Nittany Lions still have questions behind starter Rocco Becht.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach Jake Waters watches practice inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State doesn't have a competition for the starting spot at quarterback. Rocco Becht was the starter from the moment he committed to follow Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State.

But the Nittany Lions still have questions to answer at the position before their season-opener Sept. 5 against Marshall at Beaver Stadium. To get a read on the quarterbacks, we went to position coach Jake Waters to take the temperature of a brand new room.

Rocco Becht looks fitter than ever

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht participates in a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As the Big Ten Network noted during its practice visit, Becht is the most experienced returning FBS quarterback, with 39 starts and 26 wins. But Becht also feels reborn in some ways after an offseason rehabbing from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.

Becht said he gained four pounds of muscle and lost four pounds of bodyfat while maintaining his weight at around 208 pounds. That has made him more explosive in practice, which Becht will use to run more in Penn State's scheme than he did at Iowa State.

"This is the best I've seen Rocco Becht's body [look] since I've been with him," said Waters, who coached Becht last year at Iowa State. "He's lost some bodyfat, put on lean muscle. It's a huge, huge change for him, and he feels great. He feels fast, he feels good and he did a lot of good stuff in the offseason."

Becht spent time in Florida training with quarterbacks coach Will Hewlett, who also works with San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy. Waters said that they worked on fine-tuning Becht's consistency and accuracy.

"You saw it in the first few days of practice and you saw it after spring during OTAs that were extremely positive for him," Waters said.

Alex Manske is ready to be QB2

Penn State Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell walks by quarterback Alex Manske during practice at Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Manske, a redshirt freshman transfer from Iowa State, missed spring drills with what Campbell called a medical condition. But he has returned healthy and confident for training camp, a huge boost to Penn State's offense.

Quarterback was Penn State's most tenuous position after spring drills, particularly if Becht was forced to deal with another injury. But Manske's return has made the offensive coaching staff much more comfortable with the situation.

"From not playing for a long time since last season, these are really his first reps," Waters said. "But he [has] command of the offense. It wasn't moving too fast, which you expect a little bit. You're off for a long time, you get thrown into it and it starts to go.

"But he's done a great job of handling the offense, getting through the progressions. He does have a really strong arm, but there are times where you need to check the ball down. You need to get through your progressions, and he's been doing an unbelievable job of taking care of the football. And when he's had opportunities to throw the ball down the field and showcase his ability, he's done a great job of that."

Connor Barry 'wants to be great'

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Connor Barry lines up in the backfield during practice at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Becht limited and Manske out during spring drills, Barry got a lot of work with the first-team offense. The Division III transfer from Christopher Newport took advantage of those reps, and Campbell called him one of the pleasant surprises of spring practice.

Barry, a fifth-year senior, has a new role in camp as the No. 3 quarterback but remains easy to motivate, Waters said.

"It's not hard with a guy like Connor, who just loves football and wanted to play here and have an opportunity to play at the highest level," Waters said. "He's motivated every day and he loves it here. We love having him and he's getting a ton of reps, too. He's still competing every single day with Alex and Rocco. It's really, really easy to motivate him because he wants to be great."

Freshman Peyton Falzone is getting different looks

Penn State quarterback commit Peyton Falzone of Nazareth (Pa.) High at his Signing Day ceremony with Penn State and Nazareth helmets. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Falzone and Kase Evans, a former Iowa State commit, enrolled early and got more reps than they expected during spring practice. Penn State even gave Falzone a blue contact jersey during the final spring practice at Beaver Stadium, allowing him to absorb contact on some quarterback runs.

Campbell and Waters like how Falzone runs and want to encourage his athletic side. Ohio-based trainer Brad Maendler called Falzone the "best athlete" he has trained, and Falzone already has added 20 pounds since joining the Penn State roster (he's listed at 6-5, 216 pounds).

"He's with us at quarterback and continuing to work and grow every single day on how to be the best quarterback possible," Waters said. "But then also, given the type of athlete he is and how big he is, ... we're going to kind of let his body just go naturally where it's going to go. A guy with that type of athleticism, it definitely opens up possitilities and opportunities to do some really cool stuff with him."

Such as?

"Potentially getting him on some quarterback runs early," Waters said. "... You can get super creative with guys that can throw and then run too. So you never know exactly where we would get to him, but the possibilities for him are wide open with his athletic ability."

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht goes through a throwing drill at practice at Holuba Hall. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State On SI

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