What’s better than landing Rocco Becht through the transfer portal? Landing his backup quarterback, as well! Alex Manske will arrive at Penn State after playing his freshman year at Iowa State, where he played in three games, going 4-for-5 passing for 28 yards and rushing seven times for 33 yards.
The Iowa native was a former four-star prospect, according to 247 Sports and originally chose the Cyclones over the likes of the in-state rival Hawkeyes, Kansas State,
Minnesota, and Nebraska. He comes to Penn State as the front-runner to be the starting quarterback in 2027, after Rocco completes his lone year in Happy Valley. Having the same head coach and especially his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator should help with his development, as there won’t be a new system for him to learn.
More importantly, with a pair of true freshmen coming into the quarterback room in Peyton Falzone and Kase Evans, bringing in Manske helps bridge the gap between Becht and Falzone/Evans, and should be a capable backup when the situation calls for it.
