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Penn State has a new head coach and quarterback in 2026, but one rival Big Ten coach does not think Rocco Becht is the answer.
Penn State is hoping to rebound from a 7-6 season last year. They brought in Matt Campbell, previously from Iowa State, to turn around the program. Campbell brought his quarterback, Rocco Becht, along with him. Campbell has given high praise to his quarterback, comparing him to Brock Purdy.
The new Penn State coach believes that the leadership of Becht is going to transition well to Penn State, according to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.
“For the last four years, everybody in our locker room would have fought for Rocco Becht,” Campbell told ESPN. “Rocco is an elite connector. When this transition happened, that’s still going to be our greatest challenge, right? Can we be a unified team, playing for each other? And somebody has to be able to do that, other than the head football coach. Rocco has done an unbelievable job of working to connect our locker room together.”
Now, a defensive coordinator who coached Becht at Iowa State is giving a warning to both Campbell and Becht as they try to change the culture at Penn State.
“He’d certainly have to be the driving force between Matt trying to change the culture there and get things right, if you can bring a quarterback with that type of experience, but that can go in two different directions. If it doesn’t go the way it should go, he’s going to be the one that’s going to fall on the sword,” the coordinator said.
The Penn State schedule could lead to early success for Becht and Campbell. Early games agaisnt Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo before hosting Wisconsin and visiting Northwestern could lead to a solid start. They also avoid Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon this year. Regardless, while the schedule in conference play is manageable, this is not the Big 12, as another coordinator noted.
“He’ll be so protected in what they do,” another Big 12 defensive coordinator said. “I don’t think they’re going to be very explosive on offense. Physically, the Big Ten’s a little different animal.”
Penn State could be a top 25 team in 2026 and open up its season on September 5 against Marshall.
Penn State is hoping to rebound from a 7-6 season last year. They brought in Matt Campbell, previously from Iowa State, to turn around the program. Campbell brought his quarterback, Rocco Becht, along with him. Campbell has given high praise to his quarterback, comparing him to Brock Purdy.
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