Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht has been named to several elite preseason watch lists after following coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State.
Becht is the winningest active quarterback in college football, but that wasn’t enough to shield him from the uproar this week when he revealed that he’s taking one online class at Penn State.
Rocco Becht Attracts the Ire of U.S. Senator
Becht graduated from Iowa State with a degree in communication studies. While speaking to reporters on Thursday, he revealed that he hadn’t picked the class to take at PSU just yet.
“I came over here, and I’m in a grad program, organizational development and change program, leadership classes, working in small group-type of classes,” Becht said. “So I’m doing that right now. In the fall, I’ll have a class that I’m in online, and so after that I’ll get a certificate, and then I’m able to pursue my master’s with those 12 credits.
“I don’t know yet, we haven’t picked it yet. So, we’ve gotta do that here coming up this weekend for school to start next week. Yeah, I’m in one class. I guess it’s the props of being graduated and being a fifth-year.”
United States Senator from Louisiana Bill Cassidy addressed the Becht issue in a post on X.
“Taking one online class is far from being a full-time student. My amendment to the Protect College Sports Act would address this. The “student” in student-athlete should still matter so they are set up for success, wherever they go next,” Cassidy wrote.
Becht redshirted his first year at Iowa State before taking the reins as the Cyclones’ QB1. The quarterback led the Cyclones to the 2024 Big 12 championship game and a Pop Tarts Bowl win against the Miami Hurricanes.
He registered 9,274 passing yards on 60.7% completion, 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, adding 499 rushing yards and 19 scores in his Iowa State career.
Last season, Becht earned a PFN College QB Impact score of 78.6 (No. 73 in the country) after tallying 2,584 passing yards on 60.5% completion, 16 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, adding 116 rushing yards and 8 scores.
Becht has been named to the prestigious Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Award watch lists, due to the quarterback’s elevated profile in college football.
Becht was one of 24 former Iowa State players to follow Campbell to Happy Valley via the transfer portal. The coach and quarterback are seeking to repair the Nittany Lions’ reputation after finishing with a woeful 7-6 record after being ranked No. 2 in the AP Preseason poll last year.
Penn State is tied for #30 in PFN’s College Football Power Rankings, and with a new coach and a new star under center, the Nittany Lions’ fans are wildly optimistic about clinching a College Football Playoff berth next season.
