Penn State Football head Coach Campbell vows to use the portal to accelerate the Nittany Lions roster overhaul. Who is his first call?(Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
Penn State Football head coach Matt Campbell is in the process of assembling his roster for his first season at Penn State.
While retention season went surprisingly well for Campbell and staff, there are still quite a few positions of need that Penn State must address in the transfer portal before the 2026 season opens.
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One of the top priorities for the Nittany Lions ahead of next season is the quarterback position, where Penn State saw three of its scholarship quarterbacks, including Penn State’s starter for the second-half of the season Ethan Grunkemeyer, enter the transfer portal.
While Penn State is widely expected to land former Iowa State transfer quarterback Rocco Becht (with a deal getting done possibly as early as this weekend according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel), Penn State may also be able to land its quarterback of the future in this transfer portal window as well.
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Rocco Becht is well known to both the new Penn State staff and many fans around the country, as the former Iowa State quarterback started for the past three years for Campbell in Ames, leading the Cyclones to one of the best three-year stretches in program history.
The senior signal caller amassed over 9,000 yards and 64 passing touchdowns for the Cyclones. However, Becht only has one year left of eligibility, leaving Penn State still needing a backup and quarterback for the future after next season.
According to Inside the Lions’ Audrey Snyder, Penn State could target former Iowa State quarterback Alex Manske in addition to Rocco Becht.
“The other really important quarterback to keep an eye on? Iowa State’s Alex Manske,” Snyder writes. “Manske played in three games and preserved his redshirt this year, his first, at Iowa State. He previously announced he planned to enter the portal. Again, this is a coaching staff that banks on their evaluations. I could see a quarterback room next year with both former Cyclones in it. Mankse would of course then set Penn State up for the future after Becht.”
The transfer would make sense for both Mankse and Penn State, as Campbell, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters are all very familiar with Mankse, and Mankse knows the offense and culture Campbell wants to bring to Penn State.
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Mankse comes with plenty of upside for Penn State.
The rising redshirt freshman ranked as a four-star recruit in the 2025 class out of Iowa, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Mankse entered three games for the Cyclones, completing four of his five passes for 28 yards and rushing for a touchdown.
Mankse is a 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound prospect that has four years of eligibility remaining to build into Penn State’s quarterback of the future.
While Becht seems likely, the addition of Mankse would be a big commitment out of the transfer portal, as Penn State needs to fill out its quarterback room ahead of 2026.
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