Rocco Becht has plenty on his plate as he prepares to lead Penn State into a new era under Matt Campbell.
The veteran quarterback already completed his undergraduate degree before making the move to Happy Valley, leaving his academic path looking much different from that of a typical college player.
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This detail has now drawn the attention of college football fans, with Becht’s fall schedule becoming an unexpected talking point.
Penn State QB Rocco Becht’s 1-Class Schedule Has CFB Fans Talking
Becht graduated from Iowa State in December 2025 with a degree in communications before transferring to Penn State. He is pursuing graduate work in organizational development and change, with plans to complete a certificate before potentially continuing toward a master’s degree.
During a recent media availability, Becht explained that he will take one online class this fall while continuing his football career.
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“I came over here, and I’m in a grad program, organizational development and change program, leadership classes, working in small group-type of classes,” Becht said. “So I’m doing that right now. In the fall, I’ll have a class that I’m in online, and so after that I’ll get a certificate, and then I’m able to pursue my master’s with those 12 credits.”
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Becht was then asked which class he planned to take. He said the program had not finalized that decision yet.
“I don’t know yet. We haven’t picked it yet. So we got to do that here coming up this weekend for school to start next week. But I’m in one class. I guess it’s the props of being graduated and being a fifth-year, so.”
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Becht’s explanation drew the attention of CFB fans, with many debating what his schedule says about the student side of college football.
A fan named Kyle wrote, “I hate college football, and I’m saying it here just to show that it isn’t about bias. UFL with better branding.”
Another fan took a harsher view, writing, “This is absurd! They aren’t even pretending to be STUDENT athletes!” The criticism continued with another post: “How embarrassing Penn State, Penn State Football.”
NIL also drew criticism as fans debated the impact of the fresh influx of money on college sports since athletes can earn from endorsements and other opportunities tied to their name, image, and likeness. One user wrote, “NIL has cooked college sports. Some kids making like 3 mil in NIL they like why the [expletive] would I go to class.”
Another fan brought up Carson Beck, who drew similar attention earlier in 2026 after discussing his academic status while playing for Miami. Beck, now an NFL quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, had transferred from Georgia to Miami after completing his undergraduate degree at Georgia.
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During media availability ahead of Miami’s College Football Playoff national championship game, Beck said, “No class. I graduated two years ago.” He clarified that he had been working toward additional degrees at Miami, but those programs would take longer than one year to complete.
That earlier controversy gave context to the fan’s reaction to Becht’s comments about taking one online class at Penn State. The fan wrote, “When Carson Beck said he didn’t go to class, the college football world lost their [expletive].”
Another person focused on the larger system, posting, “We’ve gotta fix college football.” Mark R. Hall mocked the academic setup, writing, “Basket weaving 101 is what they use to call it.”
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Another critic wrote, “Just wrong on so many levels. Not just him, the whole goddam thing. I was NEVER in support of NIL and now I just Hm every time I see this [expletive].”
The debate then turned toward whether academics remain central for elite college athletes. One fan asked, “Can we stop the charade that these guys are here for school?” Another added, “Athletes used to have ‘tutors.’ Now, it’s ‘online classes.’ Different packaging, same result. Absolutely no work personally done.”
Not everyone, though, accepted this interpretation.
One user pointed out, “He said ‘a’ online class. I did not hear him say it is his ONLY class. At PSU, you have a minimum required number of credits per semester to be classified as full-time. He stated he is working on a master’s degree.”
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
