Penn State's 2026 season has been trending in the wrong direction after losing four consecutive games in Big Ten play. The latest loss in that string of setbacks came Saturday afternoon in Michigan Stadium, a venue that has historically been a house of horrors for the Nittany Lions no matter who is the quarterback or the head coach. But in this particular case, the spotlight dialed in on the head coach and quarterback combo of Matt Campbell and Rocco Becht. Following the game, Campbell was asked if there has been any thought about making a quarterback change after Becht's three turnovers led to all three of Michigan's touchdowns in a 21-18 victory over the Nittany Lions.
Simply put, Campbell said that option is not on the table.
"He's got to be
better. He will continue to grow and be better, but no, there's never been a consideration from my end," Campbell said in his postgame press conference when asked if he has given any thought to relieving Becht of the starting job.
No, Penn State is not considering making a QB change, Matt Campbell says pic.twitter.com/9hvI5IANcG
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) October 17, 2026
If Campbell was considering making a change at quarterback, now would seem to be the time to do so. Penn State is heading into the bye week and may have played all of the toughest games on its schedule already, although a road trip to Washington looms in early November. The thing is, Becht is not the biggest problem facing Penn State right now, and he may still be the best option at quarterback.
Becht has certainly not been stellar this season, and his turnovers have tended to be costly. But he is still playing in an offense that is lacking any threat of a running game, and he is without Penn State's top wide receiver, Koby Howard. The shortcomings of Penn State over the past four weeks do not fall entirely on Becht, but that is part of the starting quarterback experience. You will get all of the love when things are going well and the bulk of the blame when things go sour. And right now, things are as sour as they can be for Penn State and the offense.
So what are the alternatives? And why won't Campbell give it any serious consideration?
Other than Becht, the only upperclassman on the QB depth chart is Connor Barry, a transfer from Division III, but he is considered the third-string option for the Nittany Lions. The next man up after Becht would be another Iowa State transfer, Alex Manske. Manske appeared in three games for Campbell at Iowa State last season and has made three appearances this season for the Nittany Lions. But he is no surefire fix for an offense with so many ongoing issues.
Campbell does run the risk of being too loyal to some of his Iowa State guys who followed him to Penn State. That has been the speculation with the running game and Carson Hansen, who has struggled to get going this season. Loyalty is a rarity in today's world of college football, and maybe there is a reason for that. Campbell has a responsibility to put the best players he has at his disposal on the field. For better or worse, Campbell feels Becht is still his best option at quarterback.
At least for now.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Matt Campbell says QB change is not being considered
