With Michigan’s new coaching staff now set, both the culture and style of play Michigan employs will likely look a bit different in 2026. While most fans seem optimistic about the start of the Kyle Whittingham era, lots of that excitement seems to be coming from the hire of new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, one of the assistants he is bringing over from Utah.
Beck has served various roles on the offensive side of the ball for several FBS programs over the last two decades, earning a wealth of experience
and newfound respect as one of the better offensive minds in the college ranks. Today, we’ll take a closer look at some of the offenses Beck has been a part of in recent years, as well as some of the big names he’s helped develop so fans can get a better sense of what to expect with Beck calling the shots for the offense.
BYU – QBs coach (2013-15)
Beck got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at BYU in 2007 under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. He returned to Provo to work with Mendenhall again as the quarterbacks coach in 2013, working with a few notable quarterbacks in that time. The biggest name of the bunch was Taysom Hill, who became the starter in 2013 and threw for 2,938 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He was perhaps better known for his ability as a runner, as he ran for 1,344 yards and 10 touchdowns that season.
In subsequent seasons, Hill battled the injury bug, causing BYU and Beck to get creative. In 2014, Christian Stewart was the main option under center, and he completed 57.2 percent of his passes for 2,621 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In 2015, it was Tanner Mangum leading the way in 13 games, throwing for 3,377 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Neither Stewart nor Mangum had anything close to the rushing ability of Hill, but Beck showed he could still get consistent production out of his quarterbacks.
Virginia – QBs coach (2016-21)
Mendenhall left BYU after the 2015 season and took Beck with him to Virginia. Beck was the quarterbacks coach there the next six years with pretty respectable results. In his first two seasons, he helped develop Kurt Benkert into one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC. He completed 57.4 percent of his passes for a total of 5,759 yards, 46 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in two years as the Cavaliers’ starter. Benkert would go on to play in the NFL for the Falcons, Packers and 49ers after his college career.
The next two years, it was Bryce Perkins stepping in as the starter, and he proved to be even more productive. In 2018, he threw for 2,680 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions; in 2019, he threw for 3,538 yards, 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also showed to be great dual-threat by rushing for 1,692 yards his two years as the starter.
For Beck’s final two seasons in Charlottesville, he oversaw the development of Brennan Armstrong. He appeared in nine games during the shortened 2020 season, but was extremely productive through the air in 11 games in 2021. That year, Armstrong threw for a whopping 4,449 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding 251 yards on the ground and earning third-team All-ACC honors.
Syracuse – QBs coach (2022-23); offensive coordinator (2023)
Mendenhall stepped down as Virginia’s head coach after 2021, which led Beck to take another job in the ACC, this time working under Dino Babers at Syracuse. In his first season with the Orange, Beck worked with Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader. who started 12 games and threw for 2,640 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions, along with 444 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
In 2023, Syracuse named Beck as its new offensive coordinator, his first time serving that role in FBS. That year, Syracuse wasn’t nearly as productive as it would’ve hoped by scoring just 23.5 points per game. The Orange also managed 343.4 yards of total offense per game. To make matters worse, Shrader took a big step back, throwing for just 1,686 yards, but still managed 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. He went undrafted but is still playing in the CFL.
New Mexico – QBs coach/offensive coordinator (2024)
Beck left Syracuse in 2023 and reunited with Bronco Mendenhall, who was taking over as the head coach at New Mexico. While working in his third stint under Mendenhall, he reprised the same role he had at Syracuse as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, albeit with much different results.
The Lobos scored 33.5 points per game in 2024, which was No. 24 in FBS while recording a whopping 484.3 total yards per game,- a significant improvement from what Beck had helped lead at Syracuse. Furthermore, he worked with first-year starter Devon Dampier at quarterback. He was highly effective both on the ground and through the air, throwing for 2,768 yards while running for 1,166 yards. As a bonus, the offense was balanced enough to support a second 1,000-yard rusher in running back Eli Sanders.
Utah – Offensive coordinator (2025)
Mendenhall left New Mexico for Utah State after just one season, but Beck didn’t follow his longtime mentor this time around and ended up at Utah. The offense was injury-riddled and highly ineffective in 2024, but under Beck’s tutelage, it scored 41.3 points per game in 2025, good for No. 4 in FBS. The Utes also mustered 482.9 total yards per game.
Dampier transferred in and continued his productivity under Beck despite facing better competition, throwing for 2,490 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions while also running for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns.
By coming to Michigan, Beck gets the chance to work with another dual-threat quarterback in Bryce Underwood. Underwood wasn’t relied on all that much as a runner in 2025, but that will likely change under Beck’s guidance as evidenced by his work with Hill, Perkins and Dampier. Koy Detmer Jr. will serve as the full-time quarterbacks coach, ultimately leaving him most responsible for Underwood’s development on a day-to-day basis. But based on Beck’s history, it’s clear Michigan’s talented quarterback will be used much more effectively moving forward.
