How Penn State's Freshman Quarterbacks Are Developing This Spring

STATE COLLEGE | Two freshman quarterbacks enrolled early and joined the Penn State football program in January: Peyton Falzone, who was one of two players to sign with the Nittany Lions in December, and Kase Evans from Lexington, Texas. They’re getting plenty of pivotal reps early in spring practice.

With starter Rocco Becht limited and redshirt freshman Alex Manske sidelined as well, the freshmen quarterbacks earned temporary promotions on the depth chart this spring. Manske, the expected backup, is currently at home in Iowa but has been active with the team, joining meetings virtually on Zoom. Quarterbacks coach Jake Waters said he has “no worries” about Manske returning at full strength.

“We felt it was best to get it taken care of now so we can get him back ready for fall camp,” Penn State coach Matt Campbell said about Manske. “So I think the great thing is, it’s given a lot of guys just great reps. And I’ll be honest with you, it’s been great to see that some of these young pups have done a great job taking advantage of those reps, which is huge.”

With reps available, especially in 7-on-7 drills, those have gone to Connor Barry, the Division III transfer quarterback, and Penn State’s two true freshmen. Though they enrolled early, Falzone and Evans are navigating the difference between high school and college football.

Falzone, from Nazareth (Pa.) High, enrolled at Penn State after a long recruiting journey. He initially committed to Virginia Tech, flipped to Penn State in April 2025 and then switched to Auburn two months later. But in December, he circled back to Penn State, signing just days before Campbell was announced as the head coach.

Falzone threw for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns in the first four games of his senior season at Nazareth before sustaining a broken clavicle in his non-throwing shoulder. He missed the remainder of the season but was throwing by December and has been active through spring practice.

Evans also signed in December but with Iowa State’s 2026 recruiting class. He threw for 11,640 yards and 120 touchdowns during his career at Lexington High, which he led to four straight playoff appearances in Texas. At Iowa State, Campbell called Evans “one of the great steals in this class.” Evans is one of three former Iowa State quarterbacks, with Becht and Manske, to follow Campbell to Penn State.

“Now the game’s moving really fast, just like any freshman that still should be in high school, but they’re both really talented guys,” Waters said of Falzone and Evans. “They’ve got to continue just to learn, like from operation and getting the snap, getting everyone lined up, getting our eyes in the right spot.”

Penn State opened practice No. 2 today, offering a look at Matt Campbell’s operation. Quick look at the QBs, led by Rocco Becht. pic.twitter.com/Vg1Fh9i2r1
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) March 26, 2026

The quarterbacks have also been using virtual reality to get additional reps outside of physical practice. Simulating throws in Beaver Stadium is an extra benefit before Penn State’s annual Blue-White Practice on April 25.

“It’s a lot for any freshman, especially at the quarterback position, but they’re continuing to get better and pushing them to get better and then also knowing and understanding we’re throwing a good amount at them,” Waters said.

Because Becht has been limited, the senior has acted like an additional coach during practice and has remained a strong voice in meeting rooms.

“I think they’ve been able to do a great job of listening and asking questions,” said Becht, who understands how hard learning a playbook for the first time can be. “And yeah, you know, they’re gonna mess up in practice, but how do you learn from that? How do you get better from that? And I think they’ve been able to do a really good job of that to continue to grow each practice.”

Campbell has a “slow and right” mentality when it comes to Penn State’s approach to spring practice. He also called that “intentful.”

“What I want to see is, how do we respond? How do you respond when it goes good, how do you respond when it doesn’t go well,” Campbell said. “Because all those things are coming right…tough times are going to happen, good things are going to happen and it’s the team that’s mentally tough enough and physically tough enough to be able to just consistently keep showing up and being the best in the moment.”

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