Matt Campbell didn’t waste any time drawing a line between his past and his present at Big Ten Media Days. The new Penn State head coach, who spent nearly a decade at Iowa State before taking over in Happy Valley, was asked about the obvious comparison between Rocco Becht and Brock Purdy. Campbell has coached both guys, after all.
And his answer was pretty telling.
“People always ask me compare Brock Purdy and Rocco Becht,” Campbell said, per Thomas Goldkamp of On3. “I think they both have this really special trait about themselves, is, man, in our world, our society, I think there’s so many young men that are trying to be somebody else instead of trying to do something. And Rocco, from the day he stepped into our program, is always trying to become the best he can be. I think he’s lived that, and that’s why our locker room has rallied around him in a short amount of time. You’ve seen the locker room at Penn State start to rally around Rocco.”
Why That Comparison Matters
It’s not just coachspeak. Campbell coached Purdy at Iowa State from 2018 to 2020, and Purdy went on to become the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft before turning into a legit starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. That kind of success story matters when you’re trying to build something at a program like Penn State.
Becht isn’t a project, either. He played 42 games at Iowa State, completing 714 of 1,177 passes for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns. He ranks third all-time in passing yards at Iowa State, fifth in games started, and second in passing touchdowns. Purdy holds the top spot in all three categories.
“Rocco and I have had an incredible relationship,” Campbell said. “And to watch his growth the last three years, he’s the winningest football, or quarterback, coming back in college football. He’s earned the right to be a great football player.”
What This Means for Penn State’s Season
Campbell brought Becht with him from Ames to State College, and that continuity could be a huge advantage. Becht knows the offense. He knows how Campbell operates. And the locker room is apparently already buying in. That’s not nothing for a program that’s been searching for stability under center.
Penn State opens its season against Marshall on September 5. That’s plenty of time for Becht to prove he’s more than just a familiar face in a new place.
Leave a Comment