COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Jake Waters joins the Nittany Lions as quarterbacks coach following six combined years on the Iowa State staff, including the last two seasons as quarterbacks coach.
- He returned to Iowa State as a senior quality control assistant for the Cyclone offense in 2021 after serving as a graduate assistant for the program in 2017.
- Waters tutored quarterback Rocco Becht in 2024 and 2025, who has started 39-straight games at quarterback for Iowa State, the longest active streak among Big 12 quarterbacks and fourth-longest in the nation among quarterbacks.
- Becht owns 26 career victories at Iowa State, the most by any active Big 12 quarterback and tied for the fourth-most among active FBS quarterbacks.
- The 2024 Cyclones recorded the greatest season in school history, reaching double-digit wins for the first time and finishing the season 11-3 overall and 7-2 in Big 12 Conference play.
- The Cyclones started 7-0, the best start in school history, and reached the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship game for the second time in 133 seasons.
- Offensively, the Cyclone offense averaged 31.3 points and 416.2 yards per game, both of which ranked in the top 10 in program history. No Cyclone team scored more offensive touchdowns than the 2024 team (52).
- Waters guided Becht to one of the best seasons by a signal-caller the program has ever seen, as he earned All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades after passing for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns, both of which ranked second in the school's annals.
- Becht rushed for eight touchdowns and led the Cyclones to four game-winning drives in the final two minutes, including the Pop-Tarts Bowl win against the Miami Hurricanes. Becht was named the MVP of the bowl game.
- In 2023, with Waters’ assistance, Becht earned Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors and was also named a second-team Freshman All-American by The Athletic.
- Becht broke every Iowa State freshman passing record, throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns.
- The Cyclone offensive attack tallied a nation's best 11 offensive touchdowns of 50 yards or more. Iowa State was 31-for-33 (93.9) in the red zone, leading the Big 12 Conference and ranking seventh nationally, while leading the league and ranking 10th nationally with just 11 turnovers lost.
- The Cyclones recorded the fourth-best scoring average (31.3) and the fifth-best total offense (424.5), respectively, in the history of the program in 2021. ISU also ranked second nationally in red zone offense, converting on 47-of-49 trips for a 95.9 percent clip, as the Cyclones earned a trip to the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl.
- Waters had a three-year stint at UTEP (2018-20) as an offensive assistant coach on Dana Dimel’s staff. Waters worked with the tight ends, fullbacks and wide receivers during his time with the Miners.
- He helped mentor David Lucero into one of the top tight ends in the league in 2018, ranking second on the team in receiving yards (322) while hauling in a pair of touchdowns.
- Waters’ initial coaching experience at the FBS level was in 2017 when Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell hired him as a graduate assistant for the offense.
- The Cyclones thrived that season, tying a school-record with three wins over ranked opponents (Oklahoma, TCU, Memphis) and finishing the year with an 8-5 record and a victory in the Liberty Bowl.
- Waters was a volunteer quarterbacks coach at Iowa Western Community College for two seasons (2015-16) prior to his first stint at Iowa State.
PLAYING CAREER
- Waters had an outstanding two-year career as the quarterback at Kansas State (2013-14), compiling a 17-9 record as a starter. He was an All-Big 12 second team honoree in 2014, breaking school career records for completion percentage and passing efficiency.
- He transferred to Kansas State after a strong career at Iowa Western, earning first team All-America honors and was the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year in 2012.
PERSONAL
- A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Waters earned his degree in liberal studies from Kansas State in 2014.
THE WATERS FILE
Personal
Year at Penn State: 1st
Hometown: Councils Bluff, Iowa
Education: Kansas State, 2014 – B.S. Business Administration
Family: Wife: Megan; Daughter: Wesley
Coaching Career
2026-: Penn State [Quarterbacks]
2024-25: Iowa State [Quarterbacks]
2021-23: Iowa State [Senior Quality Control/Offense]
2018-20: UTEP [Wide Receivers]
2017: Iowa State [Graduate Assistant]
2015-16: Iowa Western [Volunteer Quarterbacks]
Playing Experience
2013-14: Kansas State
2011-12: Iowa Western
Postseason as a Coach
2025: Qualified for a bowl, but did not accept invitation
2024: Pop-Tarts Bowl [Iowa State]
2023: AutoZone Liberty Bowl [Iowa State]
2021: Cheez-It Bowl [Iowa State]
2017: AutoZone Liberty Bowl [Iowa State]
2016: Graphic Edge Bowl [Iowa Western]
2015: Graphic Edge Bowl [Iowa Western]
Prominent Players Coached
Rocco Becht [Iowa State]: 39-game starting quarterback at Iowa State
Brock Purdy [Iowa State]: San Francisco 49ers; 2022 seventh-round pick; Played in Super Bowl LVII