Jason Beck, who has been the position coach for three active NFL quarterbacks, joins the Syracuse staff to coach the position after helping lead the nation’s No. 2 passing offense this season.
“Coach Beck has developed a number of outstanding quarterbacks in his career,” said head coach Dino Babers. “We welcome him and his family to Syracuse and I’m excited to have him get started with our program.”
Beck, who has nine years of experience as an FBS quarterbacks coach and 15 years collegiate coaching experience, comes to Syracuse after spending the prior six seasons on the Virginia staff as the quarterbacks coach.
“I’m excited for this opportunity and looking forward to coming to Syracuse and getting to work,” Beck said. “I’m thankful to Coach Babers for this great opportunity and excited to continue to work with Coach Anae.”
Between 2013 and 2021, quarterbacks under Beck have averaged 3,367 passing yards and 514 rushing yards a season for an average of 3,881 yards of total offense. His latest protégé, Brennan Armstrong, currently holds 8 different offensive records at Virginia and was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, as well as a finalist for the Manning Award this season.
The 2021 Cavaliers offense ranks near the top of the FBS in a number of different national statistics, including passing offense (2nd/392.6), total offense (3rd/515.8), first downs (11th/318), 3rd down conversions (15th/.459) and scoring offense (22nd/34.6).
Prior to Armstrong, Beck guided Bryce Perkins’ career at UVA. Perkins graduated as the program’s career record holder for total offense (7,910) after playing only two seasons in Charlottesville (2018-19). Under Beck, Perkins also owned the top two spots in the Cavalier record book for single-season and single-game total offense, until both were surpassed by Armstrong this season. His total offense number (4,307) in 2019 ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC. Perkins also set the single-season passing record at UVA with 3,538 passing yards in 2019, which ranked No. 16 in the nation and No. 3 in the ACC. Perkins is currently on the LA Rams roster.
Under Beck, the Cavaliers quarterback prior to Perkins also went on to an NFL career. Kurt Benkert, who is currently Aaron Rodgers’ backup in Green Bay, finished a two-year career at Virginia with 5,759 passing yards and 46 career touchdowns.
Virginia has only had three quarterbacks throw for 20+ touchdowns in multiple seasons. All six of those seasons coincided with Beck’s tenure at Virginia in Armstrong (2020-21), Perkins (2018-19) and Benkert (2016-17). At Virginia, he helped UVA become bowl eligible in each of each of the last five seasons, including an ACC Coastal Division Championship in 2019 and a trip to the Orange Bowl.
Prior to joining the Virginia staff, he spent three seasons at his alma mater, coaching quarterbacks at BYU from 2013-15 where he coached current New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill. In 2015, after Hill suffered a season-ending injury, Beck 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 north of 60-percent. That came on the heels of another year where Hill’s season was cut short in 2014. Beck helped BYU successfully navigate the final seven games of the regular season without the star QB. Hill and Christian Stewart combined for 3,623 yards and 32 touchdowns on the year, including 25 TDs by Stewart. As a sophomore quarterback in 2013, Hill passed for 2,938 yards and 19 TDs while also rushing for 1,344 yards and 10 TDs under Beck’s tutelage.
Beck spent the 2012 season as the offensive coordinator at Simon Fraser. Beck turned an offense that ranked last in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense in 2011 into the league’s No. 1-rated attack in all three categories during the program’s first year as a full NCAA Division II member in 2012.
Beck served as quarterbacks coach at Weber State 2009-2011. Under his tutelage, Wildcat quarterback Cameron Higgins set school records for most career passing yards (12,274), most career touchdowns passes (98), most career total touchdowns (105), most career pass completions (935) and career passing efficiency rating (144.5). Higgins completed his career as one of the most prolific players in Big Sky Conference history, still holding the career passing yardage record (48).
Prior to Weber State, he spent the 2008 season on Les Miles’ staff at LSU as an offensive intern and the 2007 season as an offensive intern on Bronco Mendenhall’s staff at BYU in the same role.
As a player, Beck spent three seasons at BYU (2004-06) after one-year stops at College of the Canyons (2003) and Ventura College (2002) as a quarterback. He spent much of his time at BYU as a backup, but totaled 553 yards through the air in his career, including 305 yards on 20-of-28 passing in his lone start in a 38-0 victory over Utah State his senior season. At College of the Canyons, he led the Cougars to an 11-1 record and No. 4 ranking nationally among junior colleges.
Beck earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from BYU in 2006 and 2011. He is married to former BYU soccer standout Jaime Rendich, and they have a daughter, Peyton, and twin sons, Cameron and Jackson.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].