ARLINGTON, TX – August 20, 2026 – Football never stops for Anthony Becht. The former first-round NFL Draft pick, longtime coach and broadcaster has spent the better part of his life around the game. He is a coach, father, husband and broadcaster, all year round.
Becht’s football journey began as a child in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He parlayed a standout high school football career into a scholarship from West Virginia. Becht was an honorable mention All-American in his senior year before ultimately being drafted in the first round by the New York Jets.
Becht enjoyed an 11-year NFL career before transitioning into broadcasting, joining ESPN as a college football analyst. He eventually transitioned into radio and returned to the Jets, this time as a color commentator beginning in 2024. All the while, his coaching career was taking shape.
Becht began his head coaching career with the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2023, spending his springs on the sidelines in the UFL and his falls and winters with the Jets. He took over as head coach of the Orlando Storm in 2026, but little else changed.
The only difference now is that there is a family waiting for him when the football day ends. His son, Rocco, is preparing to be the starting quarterback at Penn State this fall after transferring to the institution. Football, in many ways, has become a family affair for the Bechts, and he has always had their support.
“Everybody's got to make a lot of sacrifices for me to have the successes that I've had. You think about my wife when I was a player. I played for five different teams, moving around a little bit... And then even after I retired, you think, okay, now it's their turn and then I jump into the media and now I'm traveling on the weekends again for college football and calling football games.”
There is no true offseason for Becht.
“I have a unique calendar that quite frankly, I’m really around football 365.”
For Becht, that constant exposure to the game isn’t simply about staying busy. Each role he takes on gives him another way to learn. Broadcasting NFL games during the UFL offseason isn’t just a second job. It gives Becht the chance to study the game from a different perspective. He studies how coaches handle situations, decisions, and adjustments while continuing to develop his craft behind the microphone.
“I'm also growing as a coach because I'm seeing, you know, what other coaches are doing from a situational standpoint, taking those mental notes, and it really helps me grow as a coach as well.”
Becht’s constant exposure to the game has translated to the sidelines, or perhaps he just has a knack for coaching. He led the Battlehawks to a 22-8 regular-season record over three seasons before taking over the expansion Storm in 2026. Nothing changed in Orlando. Becht led the Storm to an 8-2 regular-season record and the top seed in the UFL.
But even with all the success Becht has had on the sidelines, he has developed a genuine love for broadcasting, particularly on the radio. The appeal of radio for many broadcasters is the challenge of creating the game for someone who can’t see it, and Becht is no different.
“I just love painting a picture. You know, radio is different from TV. You're painting a picture for the audience. Basically if you're closing your eyes, you know, what are you seeing from the words coming out of my mouth?”
Becht has also developed a unique connection with the organization he covers. He has been intertwined with the New York Jets for 26 years, dating back to the day they drafted him in 2000. Some current executives were interns when Becht was a player, and he has watched the organization evolve from the field to the press box.
“I've watched every snap of that organization since I was a player in 2000.”
Becht always knew that when it was time to hang up his cleats, he would stay around the game. But broadcasting came first for a reason.
“When you retire, you have never done anything different in your life except play ball, prepare for football, train... Was it coaching? Was it going into the real world? Was it the media?”
With young children at home, the commitment required to become a coach wasn't realistic at that point in his life. Broadcasting allowed Becht to remain around football while giving his family a different kind of commitment. Once his children were older, the timing changed, and Becht was ready to take on the headset on the sidelines in addition to the one in the booth. His family has continued to be at the center of those decisions.
Becht is consumed by the UFL season from February to June, and then the NFL season, combined with his son Rocco’s season, from August to January. Becht will spend another season behind the microphone with the New York Jets while also watching his son play on Saturdays. He does his best to be dad while watching Rocco play.
“The coaching stuff doesn't really come out till after the game because I always watch the film after, right? I never really judge anything when you see it on the field because you don't know.”
As a father, Becht wants to teach his kids everything he learned en route to achieving his lifelong dream. But Rocco is now at a point where his father doesn't need to teach him the X’s and O’s of the sport. Instead, Becht focuses on the mental side of the game: preparation, adversity, handling pressure and, most importantly, embracing the process.
“Everybody wants everything now. They want the accolades, they want everything that comes with being successful, but they don't understand what it takes on Sunday morning, the next day after a game, to prepare yourself to be ready for the following Saturday or Sunday, whether you're in the NFL or not.”
Becht was sure to address how proud he is of his son for everything he has accomplished thus far in his young football career. Rocco was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP, in which he ran in the game-winning touchdown over the Miami Hurricanes. He currently owns 26 career wins as a starting quarterback, the most of any active FBS quarterback at this time.
“You know, when you think about your kids and you want them to play at the highest level, you think, okay, just get there. And hey, just getting there is a big deal. But Rocco, obviously, you know, his accolades, what he's been able to do since his freshman year has been remarkable.”
But, of course, the father in Becht always comes out.
“It's your kid. You want health? I think that's the biggest thing. Like, hey, if he gets hit or goes down, like, get up, right? That's the biggest thing from a parent.”
Even while following Rocco's journey, Becht has found another opportunity to grow as a coach. Rocco’s head coach at Iowa State, Matt Campbell, now leads Penn State and allowed Becht to spend the first two weeks of training camp with the staff. For Becht, the opportunity was about more than simply being around his son. He was there to learn.
“You know, again, just kind of part of the Rocco story, and then also my growth as a coach, like, you know, what else am I doing, right, to grow? Like those are things to me. Like, it's not just the UFL. I'm always trying to grow, you know, every facet of my coaching career.”
Becht has also kept a close eye on his former UFL players, many of whom are now competing in NFL locker rooms. One of them, his former Orlando wide receiver Cam Camper, is currently battling for a 53-man roster spot with the Jets. Camper exemplifies exactly what Becht preaches.
After beginning the season buried on the depth chart in Orlando, Camper got his opportunity in Week Four and never looked back. He most recently saw action in the fourth quarter of the Jets' first preseason game and finished as the team's leading receiver. For Becht, Camper’s journey is a perfect example of what can happen when a player stays committed to the process and is ready when his opportunity arrives.
“Are you willing to continue to commit to the day-to-day process so that when your moment comes, you're ready to go?”
Camper bought into that process. When his opportunity arrived, he was ready. And that's one of the reasons Becht takes so much pride in coaching in the UFL.
“It's the purest league to coach in. Everybody does the same, but you really get to help guys.”
Becht enjoys coaching players who have “a little more baggage,” helping them grow and giving them an opportunity to reach the next level. He takes pride in seeing the players he coaches turn their UFL opportunity into another chance at the NFL.
That commitment extends beyond the players already on his roster. Becht stopped by the 2026 DC UFL Showcase to check out some of the talent entering the UFL in 2027. Even with his son in Penn State training camp, the Jets preparing for the NFL season and a family at home, Becht still made time for the next generation of talent. And he didn't just sit back and watch from afar. Becht said he shook hands and spoke with more than 50 athletes at the showcase, getting to know the players rather than simply evaluating them with a stopwatch.
“I don't want to sit there with a clock in my hand and just take 40 times. Like, you know, I want to get to know some of these guys and I know their grind. How can you show these guys that what they're doing and what they're investing in could pay off, but also understanding like being transparent with them.”
From the UFL sidelines to the NFL press box, from Penn State's training camp to a UFL Showcase, Becht continues to find ways to stay around the game and to learn from it. Still, there is a part of Becht's life that has nothing to do with football.
“I like to sit in my house, hang out in my pool, hang out with my wife. We watch a lot of television." Becht also told us he is beginning Lioness, so if you happen to come across Anthony, please, no spoilers.
It’s a remarkable calendar for a man whose life has been shaped by the game of football. Whether it’s coaching, broadcasting, being a husband or being a father, Becht has the support of the people who love him around him. And through each role, he continues to learn, grow and find another reason to stay close to the game.
Football never stops for Anthony Becht.