Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht has been in Happy Valley for over a month now, but the redshirt senior has yet to throw a football.

Becht has been recovering from two separate shoulder injuries he suffered while with Iowa State. In his first media availability since joining the blue and white, Becht explained that his cautious approach stems from playing through the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder and AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder last season with the Cyclones.

“It was probably the lowest place that I’ve been in my collegiate career, mentally and physically. When we lost those four games, that was pretty tough on me,” Becht said. “The only reason why I played the season out was because I wanted to do it for my team. I felt like it was my responsibility to give them everything that I had.”

Becht opted to get surgery immediately following the regular season, rather than waiting to see if Iowa State would be selected for a bowl game. His decision proved to be the right one, allowing him to fully recover within the spring practice window.

“The process has been going really well. [My] shoulders [are] feeling great. The right shoulder is fully healthy, and the left shoulder is almost there. So I’m expecting to [play] in over half of spring ball,” he said.

Penn State’s starting signal caller is slated to begin throwing this Saturday, starting with a workload of 20 to 30 tosses before gradually increasing. Being available to get valuable reps with his new teammates excites Becht.

“Getting on the field and playing with your new teammates, I want to show them what I’ve got. Even though you can watch film, you can watch tape, but they can’t really see me in person and how I am, how I operate, on the field when it comes to practice or scrimmage time,” he said.

While clicking with unfamiliar faces on offense is essential, Becht emphasized that there is still much to unlock with his former Iowa State offensive skill players, including Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, and Benjamin Brahmer.

Similar to Becht, Eskildsen dealt with nagging ailments throughout the 2025 season, posting 526 yards and five touchdowns on 30 catches. His 17.5 yards per catch ranked 25th in the nation, proving the sophomore to be a big-play threat, which gives his quarterback confidence in their connection going forward.

“[Brett] is fast, he’s speedy, he can catch the ball, so I think last year was just a glimpse of what he can do,” Becht said. “He got hurt, and he was getting frustrated because he wasn’t able to show his full capabilities. So, I’m excited for him because he’s going to be fully healthy, going to have full confidence back in himself, and those guys are going to be able electrify Beaver Stadium this fall season.”

Eskildsen returned that bode of confidence, further emphasizing the bond between the two.

“I would say the best part about him is his leadership. Rocco Becht’s only been the starting quarterback in my college career, but you kind of look at him as the leader. He’s very talented, his accuracy is insane, especially down the field. It’s something I’ve never seen before,” he said.

And while Becht hasn’t been able to generate chemistry with players like Eskildsen in practice yet, he’s gone above and beyond to connect with them in other ways, even before arriving on campus.

“The first thing I wanted to do was get in contact with all the Penn State players, know everybody’s names here, and gain a relationship with them,” Becht said. “I wanted to know everyone’s background. I wanted to know their names. I wanted to know how they got to this point in their life, so I can lead them in a way that won’t be disheartening.”

Laying a solid, early foundation with his teammates was Becht’s way of showing that he came to Penn State not for himself, but to take the program to the next level. However, he admits there is a hefty load of pressure on his shoulders as the program’s starting quarterback.

“I’m the first guy [who’s] going to elevate this thing to those [prior] years. I want to take on that challenge. I want to take on those hard times,” Becht said.

As for the 22-year-old’s goals in what is likely his final season of college football? He wants to make the dance.

“I’m hoping that we’re able to do what we want to do. We have our goals in mind, and that’s just to win a Big Ten Championship and ultimately get to the College Football Playoff to have a chance to win a National Championship,” he said. “With the team that we have now, I think we’re fully capable of doing that.”

It’s still early, and the road to a National Championship is grueling, but Becht is doing everything right during the opening chapter of his Penn State journey to put the program on course for such success.