Rocco Becht didn’t exactly hide his excitement when he talked about Koby Howard at Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday.
The Penn State quarterback is coming off a 2025 season that never really got rolling the way his earlier years did, thanks to shoulder injuries that bothered him all year. Now that he’s had surgery and worked his way back, the Nittany Lions are set to put their starter back under center - and they’ll do it with the most experienced NCAA quarterback in the mix.
Becht’s focus isn’t just on his own rebound, either. He wants the players around him to pop, and Howard is clearly one of the names he has in mind. Tight end Benjamin Brahmer and wide receiver Chase Sowell are part of that picture too, but Becht made it clear he’s paying close attention to the returners as well.
"That guy is really special," Becht said of sophomore wideout Koby Howard at Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday. "He did a lot of good things in spring ball and he's probably going to do a lot of great things in fall camp [and] in the season for us. So, hopefully I can get him over 1,000 yards receiving, but something I'm looking forward to is just playing with him."
🤞❤️
- Koby Howard (@KobyHoward3) July 28, 2026
That kind of confidence is exactly what Penn State wants to hear from its quarterback. The Nittany Lions have spent the last few seasons trying to find a true difference-maker at receiver, even after bringing in talented transfers, but the passing game still hasn’t become the team’s calling card. If that changes, so does a lot about the ceiling in Happy Valley.
Howard isn’t the most obvious headline name, but he’s the kind of player worth watching closely. As a true freshman, he caught seven passes for 133 yards.
That’s not a massive sample, but it gives him something to build on. With Becht back healthy and more opportunities available in 2026, Howard has a real chance to show what he can do and establish himself before the older receivers move on.
Penn State has leaned on the run for years, with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen carrying much of the load. Even last season, when James Franklin and Andy Kotelnicki tried to reshape the offense, the Nittany Lions still didn’t look like a team built around the pass.
That’s starting to shift, especially in the receiver room. More reps against veteran competition and more time working with the most experienced quarterback in the NCAA should help Howard keep climbing. And if the early comfort between him and Becht carries into fall camp, there’s a good chance Howard sees meaningful targets once the games count.
Becht may have been half-joking about the 1,000-yard number, but one thing seems obvious: Howard is going to get a lot more than 133.
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Becht said Campbells influence went well beyond the field, pointing to the way the staff treated players as people first and built a relationship that grew over four years. For Penn State, that kind of familiarity can matter as much as any stat line, especially with a new season ahead and a quarterback still settling into a new environment. [Read more 🡒]