Syracuse Football: Why Jason Beck is right guy for offensive coordinator

Two things happened in the span of a few hours that made me think about Syracuse football.

The first was a preseason poll about where media members think Atlantic Coast Conference schools will finish in the league this coming season, and the Orange was placed at number 10.

Then Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers, defensive back Justin Barron and wide receiver Damien Alford held a press conference before the start of preseason camp. What I noticed was something I’ve heard a lot of lately and that’s questions about Jason Beck at the offensive coordinator position.

https://twitter.com/accnetwork/status/1686397505531940864?s=46&t=RAWkSYdkWcHr4uyB4BrHdg

And I get it. Former coordinator Robert Anae is gone to NC State and so there are questions about continuity or possible changes under a new coach, even though Coach Beck was Coach Anae’s quarterback coach for years. But Jason Beck is not just some lackey who hung onto Coach Anae’s coattails to keep working in football…he’s his own man with his own credentials.

Jason Beck is the right person to be Syracuse football offensive coordinator.

Jason Beck was a collegiate quarterback first at College of Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., where they were ranked 4th nationally. He then transferred to BYU, where he mostly backed up John Beck in 2004.

At BYU, Jason met the love of his life and the future mother of his children, Jamie Beck, who is seemingly like the football mom of Twitter, bringing a very positive and supportive spirit along with her husband and the program. And upon graduation, Jason was a grad assistant at his alma mater BYU and then at LSU before becoming QB Coach at Weber State and offensive coordinator at Simon Fraser. At SFU, he turned a last-place offense into a first-place one in one season before his alma mater called his name.

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall brought him back to BYU as quarterback coach under offensive coordinator Robert Anae. He did that from 2013-2015 until he resigned and joined Coach Anae and Coach Mendenhall at the University of Virginia. And as many Syracuse football fans may remember, Beck and Anae joined Syracuse before last season upon the retirement of Coach Mendenhall and with Syracuse University needing a new coach.

So while Jason Beck has worked for Coach Anae, he’s also shown he can be an offensive coordinator and is good with quarterbacks. And his ability and demeanor might just be exactly what this offense and quarterback Garrett Shrader need.

And let’s not just look past the fact that like Emily Leiter from Syracuse.com and others including head coach Dino Babers in his press conference mentioned, Coach Beck as OC also brings some continuity, something Garrett Shrader hasn’t had from season to season during his collegiate career.

While Jason Beck is his own man and will make his own calls, having coached Shrader last year, he knows how important it is to utilize what made the Cuse quarterback successful last season too. He gives Shrader a familiarity but also a touch of freshness as well.

He’s got experience and experience with Shrader and Coach Babers so he knows exactly what they want and are capable of. Also Beck and his family have embraced their new address and want Syracuse football to be successful not just for his resume but because he is the kind of guy who wants to make others better, including the starting quarterback at BYU who he’s credited with helping with game film review and sharing what he saw.

So if you’re looking for Syracuse football to finish 10th in the ACC because of his “lack of experience,” doubt him at your own risk. If you’re a Syracuse football fan who likes those guys who truly want to be here and embraces the community and the program, Coach Beck is that guy.

Want proof? I spoke with Coach Beck’s wife Jamie and one day I’d truly love for her to share her whole story of her experience as a coach’s wife but for now, I’ll share part of the conversation that tells you how committed they are.

"“That’s why being part of the community right away and building relationships with the players and staff is important to us. We can’t be half in, we have to be all in. Football is a dominant part of our lives but I don’t want it to ever be all we are as a family (if that makes sense..?). So it can be a hard balance sometimes especially as the kids get older, but somehow we’ve made it work for our family and we feel so grateful to be in Syracuse NY at this time in our lives. Things happen for a reason and I have no doubt this is where we are supposed to be.”"

If you’re just unsure what to think, I wrote this so that you can look at Jason Beck’s resume and who he is and ask yourself if a guy with that resume who took a last-place offense and made it first as offense coordinator once along with years of experience and experience with this team isn’t going to be successful.

I am a homer fan but I’m also a fan who can do a little research and see this is a guy I believe will win. He’s young enough to relate to players but experienced enough that they know he knows what he’s doing. And along with Coach Babers’ style, both men seem to have the similarities that might mesh well whereas they’re more coach than disciplinarian, though neither is afraid to let you know who’s in charge when necessary.

I believe in Jason Beck and if you don’t now, you will soon. He’s a qualified coach with other coaches and players around him who will form an “Ohana” that Coach Babers has spoken about many times that WILL be successful and not 10th place successful…this is a staff and team that will make some noise in college football in 2023.