Tengwall on Becht: "A step up from Allar and Grunkmeyer"

rigi19040

Junior
Aug 1, 2024
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Yes. I made an earlier post in this thread that even if Becht ot whatever qb comes, maybe Grukemeyer actually would play well enough in spring ball and summer camp so that he would win the job.

Except they probably already paid becht starter money which implies the job is not up for grabs.
 

CyphaPSU

All-Conference
Oct 25, 2021
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Exaggerating slightly but a 4 star from Nebraska is like an 8 star from Texas.

I think back to how good Cooper Dejean was in college and how he’s an immediate impact starter in the NFL. He had great high school tapes, but still was only a low 3 star and the 88th player at his position. Switch his high school from a tiny town in Iowa to, say, Belle Glade, FL or Westlake, TX and watch that rating soar
Not trying to be combative, but Coop came to Iowa with a 4-star rating. Maybe you are thinking of Riley Moss? He came in as a 2-star but far outplayed that rating once he got to Iowa City—now he plays for the Broncos.
 

Ram20

All-Conference
Jul 29, 2013
564
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Thinking objectively do you really see Grunk staying? 1. His QB coach will be at VT; 2. The OC at VT was the PSU TE coach and "co-offensive coordinator" and 3. The VT coach was his coach at PSU.

Does he want to learn a completely different offense or does he go somewhere where he is comfortable? I believe he leaves.
I would think Terry could make a pretty compelling argument that he got more out of Grunk than Franklin did any QB in 8 years. I like Grunk, and would understand his desire to leave if Becht comes, but for his sake, he really shouldn't go to VT.
 

Dbsteel

Sophomore
Jan 15, 2014
107
133
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I

I think besides Terry Smith, Grunk is the person most responsible for saving this season for Penn State, albeit a redshirt freshman.

Beyond the Ohio State game, he performed beyond expectations, and showed consistent improvement and confidence.

How would Becht have performed in his first three unexpected starts against Iowa on the road, Ohio State, and Indiana?

Campbell will have bigger holes to fill than QB next year. Pushing a potential 3 year starter out the door for a year of someone who peaked is not the best decision IMHO.
If he can bring in younger QBs for a fair competition, that's another story.
Agree totally with this. Go look at the guys stats? Nothing special really. And he had some dud games against bigger schools. Sound familiar?
 
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Kroixklk

Senior
Aug 16, 2006
490
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You get the best QB for next year. You figure out the rest after that. Grunk was good but you gotta be great. Right now Becht is the best Campbell can get so you get him. QB is one spot you figure out for the following year and not much after that. Good ones are available almost ever year.
 

Kroixklk

Senior
Aug 16, 2006
490
903
93
Yeah, this. Haven’t seen a PSU QB take noticeable, positively progressive “steps” week over week like Grunk in…well…I honestly don’t know when. Rocco may be a better play in 2026 but I don’t think it’s worth a 3.5m payday when Grunk has shown us the ability to improve like he has.
You missed the second half of last season. Drew got better as the season went on and flopped in the playoff.
 

CowbellMan

Sophomore
Feb 1, 2024
100
196
33
If Grunk leaves, he will leave with a PSU career record for completion percentage.

Did that as a freshman. Feel like he’s the guy I would like to have going forward, getting better. Good start with a QBR of 140, particularly with the ridiculous start to his career of at Iowa at night, #1 and #2. Hard to imagine wanting someone else. Massive ceiling.
You get the best QB for next year. You figure out the rest after that. Grunk was good but you gotta be great. Right now Becht is the best Campbell can get so you get him. QB is one spot you figure out for the following year and not much after that. Good ones are available almost ever year.
ves
 

Bison13

All-Conference
May 26, 2013
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Could Campbell want Becht, sure, I think thats a given considering what they've done the past couple years. Did Campbell also recruit Grunk to ISU, it appears so. I would guess that he would love both and is spending a ton of time evaluating that position, not only Grunk, but Smolik as well. Falzone is committed and it looks like they are doing well with trying to get some of the 2027 QB recruits so I don’t think the QB room will be empty this spring and fall. There was bound to be turnover anyhow, and I do think Gronk is the better option, having an experienced quarterback come in like Indiana did maybe be enough to take this team to 10 wins next year.
 

Bwifan

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
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Looks like a lot of smoke with DaBoer leaving Bama for Michigan.... If he leaves for Michigan see if Campbell can convince Jett Thomalla to leave Bama for PSU. He had committed to ISU and Campbell then Bama flipped him. A nice 4 star qb if the domino's were to fall right.
 

PSUFTG

All-Conference
Nov 1, 2021
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Looks like a lot of smoke with DaBoer leaving Bama for Michigan.... If he leaves for Michigan see if Campbell can convince Jett Thomalla to leave Bama for PSU. He had committed to ISU and Campbell then Bama flipped him. A nice 4 star qb if the domino's were to fall right.
99% of the time:
"A lot of smoke" appears to be Interwebs-ese for "A couple of yukmaluks in their Moms' basements reposting each other's jibberish" :)
 

PSUSignore

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
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You gave a perfect example of why I don’t trust the star rating system. There are 3 star players who are NFL caliber and 5 star players who are flat out busts.
Now do it for a sample size of hundreds of players instead of just a handful. Also don't forget that there are significantly more 3 star recruits than there are 5 star recruits, so you need to normalize your data. Good luck with your endeavor to prove this theory. Recruiting rankings are not foolproof, but are in general are quite a good representation.
 

PSUFTG

All-Conference
Nov 1, 2021
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Now do it for a sample size of hundreds of players instead of just a handful. Also don't forget that there are significantly more 3 star recruits than there are 5 star recruits, so you need to normalize your data. Good luck with your endeavor to prove this theory. Recruiting rankings are not foolproof, but are in general are quite a good representation.
There are plenty of issues wrt how these "star" lists are put together - no doubt.
There are also plenty of outliers and anecdotal stories to be told.

But any contention that in aggregate, having a roster of "highly rated" recruits is not HUGELY beneficial vs a roster of "low rated" recruits is just inane.
 
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Itraindogs

All-Conference
Nov 28, 2024
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Grunk isn't going to stay if he's not the starter next year...

It's 2025, if a QB isn't the starter or a freshman redshirting, they're transferring.
If Grunk is playing the long game (NFL) it would behoove him to follow the example of young QBs like Arch Manning, Tavien St. Clair, and Dante Moore who understand that sitting and learning from established upper class men is in their best interest. If he insists on going somewhere where he will start, even if he is not ready, he may very well damage his career.
 

Itraindogs

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Nov 28, 2024
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There are plenty of issues wrt how these "star" lists are put together - no doubt.
There are also plenty of outliers and anecdotal stories to be told.

But any contention that in aggregate, having a roster of "highly rated" recruits is not HUGELY beneficial vs a roster of "low rated" recruits is just inane.
Agreed. Blue-chip ratios are a very good indicator of success. However, there are always exceptional outliers that surprise people. Very, very talented players in small markets who do not go to showcases or camps often fall under the radar, so are not assigned the correct star rating. That goes double for later developers. But generally it is not smart to discount industry assessments; it should supplement one's own evaluation.
 
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Itraindogs

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Nov 28, 2024
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I would think Terry could make a pretty compelling argument that he got more out of Grunk than Franklin did any QB in 8 years. I like Grunk, and would understand his desire to leave if Becht comes, but for his sake, he really shouldn't go to VT.
He should not go anywhere. He should check his ego, sit and learn. Dollars to donuts he will be developed much better by Campbell than he was by O'Brien. Campbell can point to Purdy, who does O'Brien point to?
 
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Lil Nicky Scarfo

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Not trying to be combative, but Coop came to Iowa with a 4-star rating. Maybe you are thinking of Riley Moss? He came in as a 2-star but far outplayed that rating once he got to Iowa City—now he plays for the Broncos.
Good catch. I was looking at his ESPN rating http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/evaluation/_/id/242118/cooper-dejean

But you get my drift. If you’re from the sticks and don’t go to a bunch of camps, you’re star rating is likely suppressed due to bias, etc
 

Lil Nicky Scarfo

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Agreed. Blue-chip ratios are a very good indicator of success. However, there are always exceptional outliers that surprise people. Very, very talented players in small markets who do not go to showcases or camps often fall under the radar, so are not assigned the correct star rating. That goes double for later developers. But generally it is not smart to discount industry assessments; it should supplement one's own evaluation.
This is an excellent summation of the issue.
 
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PSUFTG

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Nov 1, 2021
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Becht was great in 2024 with 2 NFL receivers.

2025...adequate, not great.
Passing yards regressed.
Are there NFL receivers in Happy Valley?
With 2 NFL Wide Receivers in 2024?
Even then he wasn't anywhere close to "great" in 2024... unless great now extends to 43rd in nation - 8th in the Big 12 - right between Ethan Garbers of UCLA and Athan Kaliakmanis of Rutgers.
2024 College Football Season Leaders Total QBR | ESPN
 

CowbellMan

Sophomore
Feb 1, 2024
100
196
33
Becht was great in 2024 with 2 NFL receivers.

2025...adequate, not great.
Passing yards regressed.
Are there NFL receivers in Happy Valley?
Funny, because I’ve been “Sayin” there is no reason for Sayin to be a Heisman trophy candidate when he’s been throwing to the best player in CFB.

Also to your point. Grunk’s first 6 games are equal or better than Bechts best year. I would just keep going with Grunk.
 
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BCS PSU

Senior
Jun 2, 2001
440
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Funny, because I’ve been “Sayin” there is no reason for Sayin to be a Heisman trophy candidate when he’s been throwing to the best player in CFB.

Also to your point. Grunk’s first 6 games are equal or better than Bechts best year. I would just keep going with Grunk.
Even if they would stick with him, they still need to bring another competant qb.
 
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lions1995

Junior
Oct 29, 2021
165
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I have no doubt that this will be a better system, but it will require a learning curve with people with whom he is unfamiliar. I do not know what he opts for, but I suspect he leaves. He has familiarity with Franklin, Ty, and O'Brien (the last one being at the center of his development). Will there be a single PSU coach left on the offensive side of the ball next year?
Does anyone think Terry Smith and Matt Campbell have not sat down with Grunk and his family and had a conversation with them to get a feel for what they are thinking? The practices between now and the bowl game is Campbell's evaluation period. He is getting all his coaches in place, and they will be able to evaluate in person practices and the bowl game to see where they need to go out in the transfer portal and whatever high school recruits haven't signed or decide their coach was fired or left and they want to explore.
 

Bwifan

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Oct 12, 2021
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Does anyone think Terry Smith and Matt Campbell have not sat down with Grunk and his family and had a conversation with them to get a feel for what they are thinking? The practices between now and the bowl game is Campbell's evaluation period. He is getting all his coaches in place, and they will be able to evaluate in person practices and the bowl game to see where they need to go out in the transfer portal and whatever high school recruits haven't signed or decide their coach was fired or left and they want to explore.

Part of it... they will watch all the games this year, maybe last year to evaluate as well as each practice is recorded and most likely watch those as well.
 
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Blair10

All-Conference
Dec 30, 2002
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Does anyone think Terry Smith and Matt Campbell have not sat down with Grunk and his family and had a conversation with them to get a feel for what they are thinking? The practices between now and the bowl game is Campbell's evaluation period. He is getting all his coaches in place, and they will be able to evaluate in person practices and the bowl game to see where they need to go out in the transfer portal and whatever high school recruits haven't signed or decide their coach was fired or left and they want to explore.

Well said. Thank you.
 
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PSUForever

Senior
Feb 17, 2007
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If Becht comes then there can be no guarantees he starts. That will be difficult if it is true he commands $3.5 million but you have to establish those ground rules.

From Grunk's perspective he has 3 years of eligibility left. If he were to be the backup in '26 then he should be the starter in '27 with two years of eligibility left. There is no QB in the '26 class and I don't see Kritza or Smolik beating him out.

I think any way you look at it you need some kind of competition with Grunk as to who the starter will be in '26. You can't simply hand it to Grunk for '26. So if it is not Becht then you need another QB from the portal. I guess then if it is not Becht do you bring a guy in from the portal with just one year of eligibility or more?
 

CowbellMan

Sophomore
Feb 1, 2024
100
196
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If Becht comes then there can be no guarantees he starts. That will be difficult if it is true he commands $3.5 million but you have to establish those ground rules.

From Grunk's perspective he has 3 years of eligibility left. If he were to be the backup in '26 then he should be the starter in '27 with two years of eligibility left. There is no QB in the '26 class and I don't see Kritza or Smolik beating him out.

I think any way you look at it you need some kind of competition with Grunk as to who the starter will be in '26. You can't simply hand it to Grunk for '26. So if it is not Becht then you need another QB from the portal. I guess then if it is not Becht do you bring a guy in from the portal with just one year of eligibility or more?
4 Star Peyton Falzone signed for the 26 class.
 

BCS PSU

Senior
Jun 2, 2001
440
776
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If Becht comes then there can be no guarantees he starts. That will be difficult if it is true he commands $3.5 million but you have to establish those ground rules.

From Grunk's perspective he has 3 years of eligibility left. If he were to be the backup in '26 then he should be the starter in '27 with two years of eligibility left. There is no QB in the '26 class and I don't see Kritza or Smolik beating him out.

I think any way you look at it you need some kind of competition with Grunk as to who the starter will be in '26. You can't simply hand it to Grunk for '26. So if it is not Becht then you need another QB from the portal. I guess then if it is not Becht do you bring a guy in from the portal with just one year of eligibility or more?
I totally agree about the competition aspect. If a player is going to transfer because of competition, then I really don't want that player; does that player, especially somebody like Grunkemeyer who has a very limited resume, think that he's not going to have to compete at another Power 4 school?
 

PSUForever

Senior
Feb 17, 2007
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I totally agree about the competition aspect. If a player is going to transfer because of competition, then I really don't want that player; does that player, especially somebody like Grunkemeyer who has a very limited resume, think that he's not going to have to compete at another Power 4 school?
I think Grunk would be smart to stay at PSU. Remember he has Terry Smith as an ally and that is important. Where would he go and have a guarantee of starting? No Power 4 school or maybe the very bottom rung.
 

NittanyLionRoar

Freshman
May 17, 2011
40
59
18
If Becht comes then there can be no guarantees he starts. That will be difficult if it is true he commands $3.5 million but you have to establish those ground rules.

From Grunk's perspective he has 3 years of eligibility left. If he were to be the backup in '26 then he should be the starter in '27 with two years of eligibility left. There is no QB in the '26 class and I don't see Kritza or Smolik beating him out.

I think any way you look at it you need some kind of competition with Grunk as to who the starter will be in '26. You can't simply hand it to Grunk for '26. So if it is not Becht then you need another QB from the portal. I guess then if it is not Becht do you bring a guy in from the portal with just one year of eligibility or more?
Half of the players who signed with PSU from the 2026 class are quarterbacks 😂
 
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Anon1750875978

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Dec 26, 2018
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Funny, because I’ve been “Sayin” there is no reason for Sayin to be a Heisman trophy candidate when he’s been throwing to the best player in CFB.

Also to your point. Grunk’s first 6 games are equal or better than Bechts best year. I would just keep going with Grunk.
I'm only speaking to the analysis of Becht.
 
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