SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 6, 2024 (Gephardt Daily_ — University of Utah Football head coach Kyle Whittingham hired Jason Beck as the Utes’ new offensive coordinator Thursday.
Beck comes to Utah after spending the last season as the offensive coordinator for the New Mexico Lobos.
Under his direction, the New Mexico offense finished the 2024 season ranked first in the Mountain West in red zone offense and total offense, ranking fourth in the FBS with 484.3 yards per game, according to a University of Utah press release.
Overall, the Lobos also ranked second in the Mountain West and No. 5 in the FBS in rushing offense (253.6). They also lead the league and ranking fourth in the country in first downs offense (298).
During his stint in New Mexico, Beck also worked as the New Mexico quarterbacks coach in 2024, and saw Devon Dampier finish the season ranked No. 1 in the league and No. 12 in the FBS in points responsible for (188). Damper finished second in the Mountain West in total passing yards (2,768).
Before showing up in Albuquerque, Beck spent two seasons (2022-23) at Syracuse, where he was the quarterbacks coach both years while also getting promoted to offensive coordinator in 2023. Despite the challenges of working with a team “being plagued by injuries in 2023, he coached an offense to have a 1,000-yard rusher in LeQuint Allen with the program setting single-game records for total offense in a season opener (677) and the most rushing yards by Syracuse since 1996 in Week 10 (392),” the of U of U press release said.
During his time in charge of the Syracuse quarterbacks in 2022, Beck saw Syracuse’s passing efficiency rating go from 108th in the FBS in 2021 to 40th nationally and fourth in the ACC in one season.
The Orange also finished the 2022 season ranked No. 2 in the ACC in red zone offense and seventh in passing offense.
Prior to Syracuse, Beck coached the QBs at Virginia from 2016-21. Before his arrival, the Cavaliers only had three quarterbacks throw for 20+ touchdowns in multiple seasons with all six of those campaigns coinciding with Beck’s tenure, becoming a driving force in Virginia becoming bowl-eligible in his last five seasons.
The Cavaliers’ QB, Bryce Perkins, graduated as the program’s career record holder at the time in total offense (7,910) in just two seasons, also ranking first in single-season and single-game total offense. That season, Perkins ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC in total offense (4,307), setting the single-season passing record at UVA with 3,538 yards in 2019.
He also coached Brennan Armstrong and Kurt Benkert during his time at Virginia, seeing Armstrong lead the Cavaliers to a No. 2 ranking in the FBS in passing offense in 2021. Benkert finished with a two-year career at Virginia with 5,759 passing yards and 46 career touchdowns.
“Beck’s first full-time FBS coaching job was at his alma mater, BYU, from 2013-15, where he coached the quarterbacks – specifically Taysom Hill,” the U of U said. “In 2015, he also coached freshman Tanner Magnum to be the nation’s only freshman quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards and post a completion percentage above 60-percent.”
Before coaching in Provo, Beck spent the 2012 season as the offensive coordinator at Simon Fraser after spending three seasons with Weber State as the quarterbacks coach. “At Weber State under his guidance, quarterback Cameron Higgins set school records for career passing yards, pass completions and passing efficiency rating, completing his career as one of the most prolific players in Big Sky history.”
Beck began coaching as an intern for BYU under Bronco Mendenhall in 2007, also spending a season at LSU under Les Miles in 2008.
“:Beck played quarterback at BYU from 2004-06 after transferring from College of the Canyons (2003) and Ventura College (2002). He earned his degree from BYU in 2006 in communications, also receiving a Master’s in 2011,” the U press release said.
