After assembling his coaching staff, Matt Campbell's first order of business at Penn State is replacing star quarterback Drew Allar. The veteran head coach could have a simple built-in solution to that problem, with his former Iowa State signal-caller, Rocco Becht, in the college football transfer portal.
Becht was always expected to commit to Penn State, given his connection with Campbell's coaching staff. With the portal officially open on Friday, Becht is now “preparing to visit” the Nittany Lions “in the coming days,” ESPN's Pete Thamel reported.
“Former Iowa State QB Rocco Becht tells ESPN he's preparing to visit Penn State in the coming days,” Thamel tweeted. “Now that he'll officially be in the portal, a deal at Penn State reuniting him with his former coaching staff could come together quickly.”
Allar is among the top players Campbell will have to replace to begin his new tenure. The longtime Penn State quarterback stated his desire to enter the 2026 NFL Draft after suffering a season-ending injury in October.
Campbell brought his entire offensive coaching staff with him to Penn State, furthering the connections with Becht. Former Iowa State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters have followed Campbell to State College and will remain in the same roles.
Becht is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the portal, with 39 starts at Iowa State under his belt. The 22-year-old threw for 2,584 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a redshirt junior in 2025.
The Becht to Penn State rumors only strengthened when Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who would have been the heir to Allar, entered the college football transfer portal.
