Rocco Becht Makes Intriguing Observation About Penn State Coach Matt Campbell

Quarterback Rocco Becht spent three seasons as Matt Campbell's starting quarterback at Iowa State, so it seemed obvious that Becht would join Campbell at Penn State for his final season of eligibility. But according to Becht, his head coach has a new energy in State College.

Speaking to ESPN's Pete Thamel about his decision to transfer, Becht described a coach energized by his new surroundings and budget.

"We were listening to him talk yesterday, and something about him changed," Becht told Thamel. "He's got the resources and people behind him and a program behind him to do what he wants to do — compete for a national championship."

Becht leads a group of 18 Cyclones (so far) who have transferred to Penn State to play for Campbell, who spent the past 10 seasons in Ames. Resources was a critical reason that Campbell said he took the Penn State job.

In an interview with local reporters after his introductory press conference in December, Campbell called his decision to leave Iowa State "at times paralyzingly difficult." But Campbell also said that at Iowa State he fielded the "lowest-paid Power 4 football team" the past two seasons. According to Matt Fortuna of The Inside Zone substack, Campbell will have about $30 million available for roster payroll at Penn State this season.

"There was never an opportunity or never a chance during our time at Iowa State where we financially had the ability to compete with who we were going against," Campbell said in December. "So you had to win at all the other things. And I’m glad we did, because the reality is, that still wins, all the other things. You just get lost in the sauce of the financial numbers of it, but all the other things still matter the most."

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht runs during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. — Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht runs during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Becht represents "all the other things." A 3-star 2022 recruit from Florida, Becht became Iowa State's winningest quarterback, recording 26 victories and 11 in Iowa State's record-setting 2024 season. As a portal quarterback, he was On3's ninth-ranked player and received multiple offers from Power 4 programs, according to Thamel.

But the relationship with Campbell, the familarity with coordinator Taylor Mouser's offense and most of his coaching and support staff in State College, Becht had a clear choice in Penn State. And Campbell had a clear choice in Becht.

"Rocco has evolved into one of the best quarterbacks in college football," Campbell said at Big 12 media days last summer. "A guy that has been just a great leader in our locker room, stands for what's right and certainly really proud of all he stands for and what he does for our football program. So for me, it's been great to align with our coaches. Like I said, are these great young men.

"I'd say in a lot of ways, he's the reason why our football program has clawed back to where we are right now. And you know, I thought he had an incredible redshirt freshman year, came onto the scene and really had a great year, you know, in 2023. For him to have the maturity and honestly the leadership to do what he did last year was really special.

"I mean, the moments that he was able to play, especially when you look at you know late in the game, what he was able to do in some critical moments, the ability to extend plays, and make the winning plays really special. From our end of it, every time we've had a guy like that, it's given us a
chance to reach our full potential as a football team in a program. And I think Rocco's leadership is as special as what I've seen or been around from a quarterback."

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