Peterson: Iowa State's Rocco Becht is in the hunt for freshman All-America quarterback

AMES – Let’s throw this out and see what sticks:

Iowa State’s Rocco Becht should be a lock for the freshman All-American football team. Shoot, I can make a case for the Cyclones’ save-the-season passer to be a first-team pick.

Among Power Five freshmen, he’s first in touchdowns and passing yards, second in passing touchdowns and third in completion percentage. His closest P5 competitor, Arizona’s Noah Fifita, plays for a Big 12-bound team that’s 8-3 overall and 6-2 (third place) in the Pac-12. The team Becht leads is 6-5 and 5-3 heading into its final regular-season game. Their teams play in 2025 at Jack Trice Stadium, by the way.

Who’s the best?

Great question, and both deserve to make one of the handful of teams that recognize the nation’s top college football rookies.

Let’s delve deeper into what All-American voters might consider when ranking the top Power Five freshman quarterbacks:

More: Matt Campbell on Iowa State's rivalry matchup with Kansas State, Kirk Ferentz's success

Passing yards: Becht 2,444, Fifita 1,988

Total touchdowns: Becht 20, Fifita 18

Passing touchdowns: Becht 17, Fifita 18

Completion percentage: Becht 63.3%, Fifita 73.6%

Also notable: Becht has five games with at least 70% completions, TD pass in 10 of 11 games, is an 11-game starter; Fifita threw five TD passes in a loss at USC, started the last seven games.

And in case this matters: Becht plays for a team that passes on 49.3% of its plays. Arizona’s plays have been 52% passes.

Here’s one more: Becht is 109-for-172 for 1,278 yards with eight touchdowns and five picks against five teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, while Fifita is 74-of-101 for 760 yards with eight TDs and two interceptions against three CFP ranked teams.

Whether Becht makes a team isn’t really all that important in the big picture. What’s significant is the leadership he’s provided a bowl-eligible team that finishes the regular season at 7 p.m. Saturday at Kansas State on FOX.

“Rocco from Day 1, he’s been really grounded, he knows what he’s about,” coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday. “He’s not trying to be anybody else. He’s just trying to be the best version of himself. He’s got that trait that allows him to work through and navigate through the hard things.”

Like throwing an interception last Saturday against Texas, then capping Iowa State’s ensuing possession with a 66-yard touchdown pass to tight end Easton Dean.

“That’s the characteristic trait great quarterbacks need to have,” Campbell continued. “Look in the NFL – they all have it; the elite ones do. That’s what separates, not arm talent, not escape ability. It’s can you snap right back in the moment and keep playing. That’s what the great ones have the ability to do.”

What also matters was Becht's patience as Hunter Dekkers’ backup last season, while playing only three games for a team that would win just four.

More: Peterson: Iowa State football moving from one Big 12 power to another in Farmageddon

“I don’t look at it like a negative, I think it’s a positive,” Becht said Tuesday. “I was able to see both the good and the bad and to be able to develop as a quarterback behind Hunter.

“It really improved my leadership. Last year was huge for me to be able to come in and lead this year.”

Becht has completed 201 of 317 passes for 2,444 yards and 17 touchdowns entering Saturday’s Kansas State game. He owns the school’s freshman record for touchdown passes and passing yards – marks previously held by Brock Purdy. He’s the 10th freshman in Big 12 history to reach 200 completions.

That’s got to be worth a spot on some freshman All-America team, right? And let’s not forget Becht’s ability to respond quickly from adversity. That’s significant, too, from a team standpoint. It’s something coaches saw even before actual games started.

“He had probably a couple of those moments in the off-season,” offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said. “Truthfully, he had a couple days that weren’t his best, both in the spring and in the fall, and then he came back to have a good mix. That’s hard to do when you’re in the dog days of fall camp or spring ball."

Iowa State hasn’t had a freshman All-American quarterback since Bret Meyer in 2004. Will Becht be the first since then?

“The way he came in his true freshman year, seeing how he prepared and how he approached each day, I knew how good he could be,” receiver Jaylin Noel said. “Seeing him step in and reach his potential, and then seeing him go even above that – it’s special.”

Becht has been special in every way – as a leader and as the quarterback of a team that’s bowl-eligible with one game remaining.

“When last season was over, I felt like what I did in that (season finale) TCU game and throughout spring ball – I felt like I could be the No. 1,” he said, emphasis on could because that was before the gambling scandal ended Dekkers' 2023 season. “I always had that mindset, acting like I was the starter in a mental way.”

Freshman All-American?

Why not?

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football's Rocco Becht should be a freshman All-American qb