Penn State football quarterback Rocco Becht has been named to the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list, the Davey O’Brien Foundation announced on Thursday.

Becht also made the watch lists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and Maxwell Award.

Davey O’Brien Award Watch List

The National Quarterback Award presented to College Football’s Best QB@RoccoBecht pic.twitter.com/Fy0YftchWM

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) August 20, 2026

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback. The winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Friday, Dec. 11, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.

Two Nittany Lions have won the award since its inception in 1981. Todd Blackledge won in the award’s second season in 1982, and Kerry Collins won it in 1994.

Becht enters the final year of his college football career as the winningest quarterback in the nation, boasting a 26-13 record as a starter.

His 9,274 passing yards and 64 touchdowns rank second among active FBS quarterbacks, and he has over 2,500 snaps under his belt heading into the fall.

After an injury-riddled year with the Cyclones, in which he threw for 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns, Becht appears healthy and has lofty expectations for his 2026 campaign, which starts with being considered for this prestigious award.