cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Rocco Becht /Iowa State

Rocco Becht

QB · Iowa State · Jr · #3

One of Usas of 2026-06-22

Rocco Becht carries 64 career passing TDs into Penn State, leaving Iowa State behind.

2,565PASS YDS16PASS TD111RUSH YDS

PERCEPTION ABOVE TAPE · PCTL GAP

-54

perception vs production percentile · 2025

Iowa State fans overwhelmingly claim him as family first and a player second, a bond that made his program departure sting harder than a typical transfer. The room is split, though — sentiment around his exit is not one-sided.

low confidence1 source

Minority viewA vocal minority argues the player-first framing was always the more accurate read, and the move to Penn State proves it.

The fanbase would run through a wall for him; the tape grades at the 34th. Does the love still need the numbers?

Read the story so far

Becht posted 2,565 passing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025, quietly building a career ledger that now sits at 64 touchdown passes — fourth among returning QBs heading into 2026. The why-now is the transfer: he is Penn State's quarterback now, and what he does in a new system with higher national visibility will either validate the loyalty narrative Iowa State fans built around him or rewrite it entirely.

Penn State's schedule will answer questions Iowa State's never had to ask.

Why nowHe changed programs heading into 2026 — a fresh fit to prove out.
  • season totals
  • perception vs production percentile · 2025
  • throne-line + Filling-the-Shoes
  • compiled from tagged fan discourse

AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data

2026 TRANSFERTransferred Iowa State → Penn State for 2026

Where He Ended Up · Transfer

Transferred to Penn State

2025Iowa State
2026Penn State

QB · IOWA STATE · BIG 12

Rocco Becht

  • 3
  • #3
  • 6-1 | 210 lb
  • Zephyrhills, FL

CFB Zeitgeist Score

55

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by yards / att at the 68th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#415

<1% win probability

Fan Belief

Awaiting

Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.

Respect Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

Reality Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

ACCOLADE PROBABILITY

Heisman

<1%

TOP QB AWARD

Davey O'Brien

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Aura™ · Him Watch the full board →
Aura tax +54aura tax
Fans rank this player in the 88th percentile of QBs; the tape says 34th — more hype than the tape.
Aura — fan perception88th pctl
Production — on-field34th pctl
n=76 mentions · cohort: QBs · 160 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = wepa_passing

Development Trajectory · passing yards

2022–2025
65.02022
3,1202023
2,5652025

+3846%

Up 3846% from first season to most-recent.

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#572 national
CFB
College
Iowa State
2022–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Heisman futures · live sportsbook odds

#22 in market ▼ from #19 · 6 books

+50002.0% implied

Identity & Role

The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.

PositionQB
Class3
Jersey3
Measurements6-1 | 210 lb
HometownZephyrhills, FL
Primary teamIowa State

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 3-star No. 572 recruit
Composite rating 0.8797 HighSchool
Signed with -- 2022
Origin Wiregrass Ranch Zephyrhills, FL, USA
Class Profile Context
2022 3-star | 0.8797 No. 572 recruit | HighSchool

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 1 Programs changed on file
Latest destination Penn State 2026
Transfer stars 4-star CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Immediate Jan 4, 2026
Season Move Context
2026 Iowa State -> Penn State 4-star | 0.9400 | Immediate

Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final

Where the player landed at the end of the listed season — final nowcast rank, win/finalist/ballot probabilities, and the cleanest official Heisman placement on file.

HIGH CONFIDENCE· through week 16
Current nowcast#415Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#278Where the full season sim points
Win probability0.0%Chance to actually win the trophy
Finalist probability0.0%Chance to make the finalist tier
Ballot probability0.0%Chance to appear anywhere on a ballot
Best official finish--Best completed Heisman placement on file

Heisman Futures

Not yet listed on major futures markets.

Achievements

  • Volume King 1.3% Volume King 2,500+ passing yards, 1,200+ rushing yards, or 900+ receiving yards in a single season (position-appropriate threshold). Held by 1.3% of the 2025 pool. 2565 passing yards — clears the 2,500-QB volume bar.
  • Program Benchmark 5.5% Program Benchmark Season leader for the program at the player's position across the headline volume metric (passing yards / rushing yards / receiving yards). Held by 5.5% of the 2025 pool. Team leader in passing yards (2565).

Selector Grid · 2025

AP
FWAA
AFCA
WCFF
SN
SI

Selector recognition fills in once the major honors lists (AP, FWAA, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sporting News, SI) are scraped and ingested.

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

NIL Valuation · On3

$1.24M

#83 nationally · Jun 2026

Whisper Rate

$1.00M

per-deal market estimate

Recruit stars

★★★☆☆

to —

Composite

0.8797

#572 national

Today’s Hot-Take

The Hot-Take engine fires when this player’s percentile profile crosses a defensible threshold (top 10% in a cohort, 100+ snap sample). When it’s quiet, the model is honoring its “must be defensible” rule.

Anti-Take

PENDING

The contrarian read fires when the rules-engine detects a stat that complicates the Hot-Take. Quiet here means the model hasn’t found a defensible counter yet — not that one doesn’t exist.

The Room on Rocco Becht

Fan sentiment ·

Belief Meter

55

Mixed Sentiment

Sample 70 mentions
Confidence HIGH

Top Take

Trajectory

Cohort divergence mapbearishbullishheatedcalmOwn fans: 70 mentions · belief +10 · "Penn State football’s trip to Washington could become one of the most important "Own fansRivals: 2 mentions · belief +0 · "I agree with Nate on the playoff expansion. Personally, I don't want 24 teams. B"RivalsNational: 9 mentions · belief +0 · "Theres a good chance that if you lumped all the Utah and ISU players that transf"National
  • Own fans · n=70
  • Rivals · n=2
  • National · n=9

Rival Radar

How rival fanbases talk about Rocco Becht

Only 2 rival mention(s) — below the 4-mention floor for a defensible read.

2025 Signature · 2025 season

Yards per attempt

7.6

yds

P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 150 attempts

National rank #32 of 72
Percentile vs P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 150 attempts 56th

Why it matters

#32 of 72 P4 + Notre Dame QBs at 7.6 yards per attempt (337 attempts).

Vs cohort

This player 7.6 (56th)

HIGH · n=337 cohort 72

  • Also strong
  • QB rushing weighted-EPA#19 / 46
  • Combined WEPA per play (pass + rush)#48 / 57
  • Passing yards (total)#35 / 72

Signature Moment

Week 6 at Cincinnati — 314 ypa

Result L 30-38

The week the volume broke through — put up 314 yds at Cincinnati.

A 3-act season arc returns once this player has six or more games on the ledger.

Season Pace · Projection

Where the passing totals stand

projecting to 13-game
Through 12g
2,565Pass yards
16Pass TDs
9INT
Per game
213.8Pass yards
1Pass TDs
1INT
Projected (13g)
2,779Pass yards
17Pass TDs
10INT

To hit 3,000-yard season (currently 2,565): needs 435/game over remaining 1.

To hit 4,000-yard season (currently 2,565): needs 1,435/game over remaining 1.

To hit 25 passing TDs (currently 16): needs 9/game over remaining 1.

To hit 30 passing TDs (currently 16): needs 14/game over remaining 1.

To hit 35 passing TDs (currently 16): needs 19/game over remaining 1.

Why this is a two-channel quarterback case

The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.

The unusual part of Rocco Becht's case is that the production comes in two channels, not one. For Iowa State, he has 2,565 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes, but he also adds 111 rushing yards and 8 rushing scores. That kind of dual-threat load tends to create a more resilient Heisman case because the offense can tilt the game in multiple ways.

Current place #415 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load 44.8% Overall usage share
Profile quirk Development arc The card should explain why this profile stands out

2025 Season · Final

Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.

Last season

QB season snapshot

2025 season snapshot | final

2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Pass yards 2,565 16 TD | 9 INT | #58/382 (85th pct)
Completion rate 60.5% 204/337 completions | #201/383 (48th pct)
Yards/attempt 7.6 Explosiveness through the air | #118/382 (69th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-volume passer against FBS QB peers. The quickest read is whether the profile wins on volume, efficiency, explosiveness, or rushing value.

High-volume passer

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Passing Efficiency

CMP
204 84th
ATT
337 86th
CMP%
60.5% 48th
Y/A
7.6 69th

Passing Production

YDS
2,565 85th
TD
16 85th
INT
9 12th

Rushing

CAR
87 84th
YDS
111 69th
YPC
1.3 29th
TD
8 92nd

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppCMP/ATTYDSTDINTYPAQBRNote
Wk 1W 24-21@ Kansas State14/28183206.571.93 TD passes
Wk 1W 55-7vs South Dakota19/202783013.995.43 TD passes
Wk 2W 16-13vs Iowa18/27134105.052.8
Wk 3W 24-16@ Arkansas State14/252651110.669.7
Wk 5W 39-14vs Arizona14/202430112.294.6
Wk 6L 30-38@ Cincinnati30/48314206.547.2Season-high 314 yds
Wk 7L 17-24@ Colorado18/33205016.236.2
Wk 9L 27-41vs BYU24/36311138.635.53 INTs — rough day
Wk 10L 19-24vs Arizona State18/36186115.238.0
Wk 11W 20-17@ TCU9/24111124.658.3
Wk 13W 38-14vs Kansas18/232413010.597.83 TD passes
Wk 14W 20-13@ Oklahoma State8/1794105.537.4
Total204/33725651697.961.2
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score

Traditional history

Traditional Stats

Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.

Season rows Career row

Season context · Team result + system

2022Iowa State4-8HC: Matt Campbell · Pass-leaning
2023Iowa State7-6HC: Matt Campbell · Balanced, slow tempo
2025Iowa State8-4HC: Matt Campbell · Run-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025Iowa State20433760.5%2,5657.6169134.8----
2023Iowa State23136762.9%3,1208.5238150.7----
2022Iowa State71546.7%654.30169.7----
Career3 loaded seasons44271961.5%5,7508.03918141.5----
SeasonTeam
2025Iowa State871111.38--
2023Iowa State62631.03--
2022Iowa State122.00--
Career3 loaded seasons1501761.211--
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context
Passing WEPA

Opponent-adjusted passing value. Positive numbers mean the quarterback is adding more value through the air than a neutral peer would in the same environment.

Role share

How much of the offense runs through the quarterback once passing and rushing responsibility are blended together.

Peer percentile

Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.

Traditional first

The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.

Rush impact 111 8 rush TD | #128/408 (69th pct)
Usage 44.8% 85.1% pass share | 12.9% rush share | #117/428 (73rd pct)
Passing WEPA +0.24 Opponent-adjusted passing value | #118/200 (42nd pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Passing Passing yards 2,565 #58/382 85th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Passing Pass TD 16 #63/407 85th pct Scoringvs FBS QB
Passing Completions 204 #63/383 84th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Passing Completion % 60.5% #201/383 48th pct Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Passing Yards / attempt 7.6 #118/382 69th pct Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Rushing Rushing yards 111 #128/408 69th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Value Passing WEPA +0.24 #118/200 42nd pct Opponent-adjusted passing value | 331 weighted playsvs FBS QB
Usage Role share 44.8% #117/428 73rd pct Share of team offensevs FBS QB
Passing Attempts 337 #59/407 86th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Passing Interceptions 9 #359/407 12th pct Turnoversvs FBS QB
Rushing Carries 87 #68/408 84th pct Volumevs FBS QB
Rushing Rushing LONG 25 #138/391 65th pct Metricvs FBS QB
Rushing Rush TD 8 #33/408 92nd pct Scoringvs FBS QB
Rushing Yards / carry 1.3 #288/407 29th pct Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Usage Pass share 85.1% #96/428 78th pct Air-game usagevs FBS QB
Usage 3rd-down usage 68.3% #45/428 90th pct Money-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage Passing-down usage 68.3% #55/428 87th pct Known-passing sharevs FBS QB
Usage 2nd-down usage 41.9% #133/428 69th pct Middle-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage Standard-down usage 34.9% #140/428 68th pct Base-situation sharevs FBS QB
Usage 1st-down usage 34.6% #141/428 67th pct Early-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage Rush share 12.9% #127/428 71st pct Ground-game usagevs FBS QB
Value Rushing WEPA +0.35 #26/140 82nd pct Opponent-adjusted rushing value | 64 weighted playsvs FBS QB
Ball Security Fumbles lost 1 #69/258 74th pct Turnoversvs FBS QB

Player Standing

Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.

AWAITING CLASSIFICATION

On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex

AWAITING CLASSIFICATION · Rung None of 16

Why he’s here

Standing classification populates when honors, Heisman, and roster signals all align.

What moves him up

What moves him down

Accolade streams

StatusAwaiting tracker

Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

YDS/gTD/gYPAINT/g
Home6g2321.59.20.8
Road6g1951.26.60.7

Win vs Loss

YDS/gTD/gYPAINT/g
Wins8g1941.58.60.5
Losses4g2541.06.61.2

First half vs Second half

YDS/gTD/gYPAINT/g
Weeks 1-77g2321.38.70.4
Weeks 8+5g1891.46.91.2

Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort

55Solid starter
8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: rush tds (81st). Concern: interceptions (21st).

Rush TDs#31 / 183 · 81st pct
8rush
Pass yards#58 / 183 · 69th pct
2565pass
Yards / att#57 / 183 · 68th pct
7.6pass
Fumbles lost#32 / 174 · 66th pct
1fumb
Pass TDs#63 / 183 · 64th pct
16pass
Rush yards#100 / 183 · 46th pct
111rush
Completion %#113 / 183 · 38th pct
60.5%pass
Interceptions#135 / 183 · 22nd pct
9pass

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Pass Profile · Completion depth (PBP)

Where the throws are landing

120/198 (60.6%) · 5 TD · 4 INT

Short

0–9 yds
49%of completions
59 comp5.2 yds avg3 TD

Middle

10–19 yds
34%of completions
41 comp13.8 yds avg2 TD

Deep

20+ yds
17%of completions
20 comp33.5 yds avg

Overall 60.6% completion on 198 attempts · 20 deep completions averaging 33.5 yds.

Advanced Savant · QB · 2024

Percentile Card

Concerns: EPA / dropback.

P4G5All FBS
EPA / dropback0.240
23th pct
CPOE
awaiting
Success rate
awaiting
Explosive rate (20+)
awaiting
aDOT
awaiting
Deep-ball accuracy
awaiting
Pressure-to-sack
awaiting
3rd-down EPA
awaiting
Red-zone TD rate
awaiting
Play-action EPA
awaiting
Scramble EPA
awaiting
Turnover-worthy play rate
awaiting

Advanced Savant

Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.

wepa_passing0.24Low (p25–p50) (n=94)
wepa_rushing0.35Mid (p50–p75) (n=72)

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 8 metrics
Rocco BechtIowa StateJohn MateerOklahoma· 86% simJC FrenchGeorgia Southern· 85% simJamal MorrisVirginia· 81% sim
Rush TDs
81
Becht
81
Mateer
74
French
68
Morris
Pass yards
69
Becht
76
Mateer
77
French
80
Morris
Yards / att
68
Becht
57
Mateer
63
French
42
Morris
Fumbles lost
66
Becht
66
Mateer
66
French
91
Morris
Pass TDs
64
Becht
58
Mateer
77
French
64
Morris
Rush yards
46
Becht
79
Mateer
72
French
65
Morris
Completion %
38
Becht
49
Mateer
62
French
67
Morris
Interceptions
22
Becht
10
Mateer
32
French
22
Morris

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

Player DNA

The Pocket Passer

Balanced passer who operates within the system. Profile sits near league average across dimensions.

QB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Blake Shapen’s 2022 season.

Blake Shapen

81%match

Baylor · 2022

#2

Blake Shapen

Mississippi State · 2025

77%
#3

Jack Layne

New Mexico · 2025

75%
#4

JC French

Georgia Southern · 2025

75%
#5

Sean Clifford

Penn State · 2021

NFL Rd 5
73%

Matches Blake on

Height
Rush usage
Weight

Differs from Blake on

Completion % (lower)

Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Malik Willis’s path through Liberty.

Malik Willis

98%match

Liberty · 2021

#2

Tyler Huff

Jacksonville State · 2024

89%
#3

Carlos Davis

Towson · 2024

86%
#4

Brock Domann

Louisville · 2022

85%
#5

Dequan Finn

Miami (OH) · 2025

All-MAC
85%

Matches Malik on

Height
Completion %
Yards per attempt

As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to John Mateer's senior season at Oklahoma (2025).

John Mateer

69%match

Oklahoma · 2025

#2

Maverick McIvor

Western Kentucky · 2025

59%
#3

Hank Bachmeier

Louisiana Tech · 2023

56%
#4

Robby Ashford

Wake Forest · 2025

54%
#5

Alonza Barnett

James Madison · 2025

All-Sun Belt
54%

Matches John on

Completion %

Differs from John on

Weight (lower)
Rush usage (lower)
Rush yards / carry (lower)

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Matt Campbell

Pass share

42.4%

345 pass / 469 run

Plays / game

67.8

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

6.8%

296 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025

1 coach
2022
Matt Campbell
Iowa State
2023
Matt Campbell
Iowa State
2025
Matt Campbell
Iowa State

Played his entire career under Matt Campbell.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.

HometownZephyrhills, FL
Height6'1"
Weight210 lb
Class3
PositionQB
Jersey3

Trophy Case · Detail

Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.

Honors

No formal honors on the ledger yet

All-America, all-conference, player-of-the-week, watch-list, and postseason awards land here when they're earned. The absence is the signal: most players never collect formal honors, and that's its own kind of context.

Honors Timeline

Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.

Season Honor Scope Team / Selector Context
No formal honors on the ledger yet. All-America, all-conference, weekly awards, watch lists, and postseason trophies land here when they’re earned.

Heisman By Year

Modeled rank and official finish by season.

Season Team Role Latest Model Forecast Win Finalist Official Finish Points Context
2024 Iowa State QB3 #415 #278 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Big 12
2023 Iowa State QB3 #46 #63 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Big 12
2022 Iowa State QB3 #1403 #1447 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Big 12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Iowa State Big 12 QB 3 No. 3 | 6-1 | 210 lb | Zephyrhills, FL
2024 Iowa State Big 12 QB 3 No. 3 | 6-1 | 210 lb | Zephyrhills, FL
2023 Iowa State Big 12 QB 3 No. 3 | 6-1 | 210 lb | Zephyrhills, FL
2022 Iowa State Big 12 QB 3 No. 3 | 6-1 | 210 lb | Zephyrhills, FL