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Iowa State football's Rocco Becht is nation's most slept on QB ahead of 2024

By Connor Muldowney

Iowa State Cyclones' quarterback Rocco Becht (3) runs with the ball around Kansas Jayhawks wide receiver Lawrence Arnold (2) during the first quarter at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State Cyclones' quarterback Rocco Becht (3) runs with the ball around Kansas Jayhawks wide receiver Lawrence Arnold (2) during the first quarter at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Ames, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
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After a disastrous 2022 season, Matt Campbell and Iowa State football were looking for answers. The Cyclones had just finished with a 4-8 record and were one of the worst teams in the Power Five.

Oh, and the offense was atrocious.

How would that change drastically in 2023? It felt like turning to a redshirt freshman quarterback who had thrown seven career passes at the collegiate level was a recipe for disaster, but Rocco Becht felt like the answer to Campbell's prayers.

Although he had just three completions on seven attempts for 65 yards and a pick in 2022, Becht stepped up and took the reins of the offense in 2023 and passed for over 3,000 yards with 23 touchdowns and just eight picks. He also completed 63 percent of his passes and added three more rushing touchdowns. He was exactly what the offense needed and Iowa State went from 4-8 to seven regular-season wins in just one year.

Yet people are still overlooking the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He had 3,120 yards and 26 total touchdowns while completing 63 percent of his passes as a redshirt freshman, but for some reason, the national media is overlooking the rising sophomore.

I get it, all the attention in the Big 12 has been levied on Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and even guys like Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Garrett Greene (West Virginia), Noah Fifita (Arizona), and Jalon Daniels (Kansas). There are some talented quarterbacks in this conference, but no one is quite as overlooked as Becht.

And he's going to make people look silly for doing just that.

I don't quite see Heisman contention this season because I don't believe Iowa State will be good enough, but Becht is going to put up some gaudy numbers on his way to an All-Big 12 campaign.

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