Cyclones’ Rocco Becht hosts youth football camp

The excitement was palpable among the children in line anxiously waiting to check in for Rocco Becht’s football camp at Ankeny High School on May 3.

Others raced to put on their official camp T-shirt and release their jitters by having a catch with friends and parents.

Once the Iowa State quarterback arrived at the field, there was a hush among the crowd. Many sets of young eyes watched the Cyclones’ QB1 closely with both curiosity and awe.

But once they were divided into groups and stations, they were eager to show Becht and their peers what they can do.

“Obviously, last year I had a camp at Perry, but this is different,” Becht said. “A lot of kids came out here today, a lot of local coaches came out here to help me, which is awesome, and I’m happy to give back today for these kids and work on their skills. Hopefully they have a good camp and it’s worth their time.”

Camp participants, who ranged from 6- to 16-years old, were divided into groups based on grade and age.

They participated in drills to refine their skills in nearly every aspect of the sport, from footwork, catching, passing, tackling, and pushing sleds.

Campers had their eye on Becht’s station, where they got to compete in a scrimmage with hopes to catch a touchdown pass from Becht, or maybe even pick him off.

“He’s always been a giver,” his mother, DeeAnn Becht, told the Register back in October. “He doesn’t expect anything back ever. He never has, but he loves to give.”

While there has been plenty of discourse by fans and media surrounding the impact of NIL on college athletics, not all of the conversation has to be negative.

Becht has used some of his NIL to be a positive presence in the local community.

Last year, he organized a free football camp for approximately 100 middle-school aged kids at Perry High School. The idea was to help the Perry community after a deadly school shooting in January 2024. He also donated $7,500 of his NIL money to the Perry youth football program.

In April, he donated new Xbox Series X consoles, along with select video games, to every pediatric room at the Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames.

His May 3 camp is the latest to help the youth and possibly even inspire a future Cyclone football player.

At the very least, the kids in attendance will have some cool stories to share at the lunch table next week and perhaps some memories to last a long time.

“For me, growing up, I went to a lot of camps, a lot of youth football camps,” Becht said. “My dad actually put a lot on and I enjoyed it. He taught me a lot, from how he would run the camps and I kind of wanted to do the same thing. I’m able to do that now with all this NIL stuff going on, so I’m happy to be out here.

“It’s the best thing (giving back). I don’t think there’s any other way as an athlete to go about it. We had a great turnout today and I’m excited for all these kids to show me what they got. … (My dad) just said enjoy it, let the kids be kids and let them have fun.”

Iowa State football: Quarterback Rocco Becht on football camp for kids

Iowa State football quarterback Rocco Becht shared why he wanted to give back to kids and have football camp in Ankeny on May 3, 2025.

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht stats

Last season, Becht completed 59.4% of pass attempts for 3,505 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for 318 yards and eight touchdowns on 98 carries.

Becht ranks among the top five in program history in a variety of single-season and career passing categories, including an active record of 18 straight games with at least one touchdown pass and the single-game record of 446 passing yards, which he set in the 2023 Liberty Bowl.

The 6-foot-1 quarterback also led Iowa State to a program-best 11-3 record last season and was named MVP of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.