Iowa State Cyclones’ soon-to-be third-year starting quarterback Rocco Becht and star cornerback Jontez Williams both wear a jersey bearing the number 3. Random? Maybe, but a “good random” as even coach Matt Campbell admitted. The fact that the Cyclones’ numerical roster pairs up some of the program’s most important duos is certainly ironic as a season that starts with a so-called Week 0 matchup with Kansas State on Aug. 23 in Dublin, Ireland. The game now looms less than a month away. And someone special has a bit of Irish in him. Talk about timing!
But don’t let the novelty of matching digits or the Guinness-soaked novelty of Ireland fool you—this Cyclones team is dead serious about its first game, especially Rocco Becht. The face of the program made it clear on ISU media day that he’s ready to seize the moment. “Honestly, the atmosphere,” Becht said when asked what excites him about the Ireland game.
“I’ve heard it’s pretty rowdy over there with the Irish people and the flames and everything that really just goes on over there for the game. And I’m excited about that part.” Asked if he had any Irish heritage, he smirked. “Maybe a little bit on my mom’s side. Yeah, maybe a little bit, I think.” Well, except for the pub every 10 steps, that part might be a little different.
The early-season hype could’ve easily been deflated after losing top receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to the NFL. That’s a lot of yards gone from Becht’s target tree. But Rocco sure didn’t flinch when asked about the state of his WR room. In fact, his tone was pointed, confident. A subtle jab at K-State? You be the judge. “I feel great. Honestly, a lot of people don’t notice this, but we have a lot more depth than we did last year in the receiver room. A lot more maturity, a lot more experience,” said Rocco Becht, who broke several of Brock Purdy’s freshman records in his first season and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors last season.
“There’s not going to be one guy that we’re planning for, preparing for to throw the ball to. We have so much talent at each position out there at X, Z and F that it’s honestly going to help me in my preparation and progressing through the reads and finding somebody to throw to. I won’t just be picking somebody out to throw to, which is going to be awesome for me this season. But like I said, there’s so much depth in that room right now that the competition is insane.” Becht’s point wasn’t just about options—it was about growth. The Florida native tossed for over 3,500 yards and 25 TDs a year ago, powering the Cyclones to an 11-win season.
But to truly take the next step—to become a contender rather than a feel-good story—Iowa State has to sustain. Matt Campbell, entering his 10th year at the helm, knows what’s at stake. ISU were one of the most complete teams in the Big 12 in 2024, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. Campbell’s message? Strip it down to basics. “Are we tough enough to be good enough? You’re gonna find out really fast, right?” Campbell asked. The beauty—and danger—of a Week 0 Big 12 game is that there’s no runway. No preseason warmups. No FCS tuneups.
How far can the ‘Rocco Rocket’, Rocco Becht fire the Cyclones
Matt Campbell couldn’t hide his pride in Rocco Becht’s development when asked how the third-year Iowa State QB1 keep rising after a standout year. But Campbell sees more than just stats in his signal-caller. He sees a guy who’s still climbing. “What I’m proud of him is his ability to just tackle himself, from having the ability to be a little bit more accurate in the passing game, the ability to continue to evolve,” Campbell said.
“I think he already took a major step from year one and two as a great leader in our football program, and that’s probably one of Rocco’s special traits. He’s just got such great humility and leadership ability, so for him, continuing to master the offense and put us in the best plays, even though I feel he made a gigantic step a year ago in that.” That’s the baseline now. Not just throwing darts or avoiding turnovers—it’s owning the offense. And Campbell knows that level of control brings more responsibility.
“You saw Rocco play great situational football a year ago. Can he continue to evolve and be great in those moments?” Campbell asked. “The consistency of doing that is hard, especially when the ball is constantly in your hand and you’ve probably got the most opportunities to succeed and sometimes you can also have the most opportunities for it to go the other way, and you’re depending on all the other 10 guys to do their job. … He’s a guy that’s relentless in his pursuit to become his best.” That’s the next step.
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