Since arriving at Ohio State in January 2015, quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Tim Beck has been hit with his share of criticism, even if a good portion of that was unwarranted. What Beck walked into – a talented but uncertain quarterback room and the larger-than-life shadow of Tom Herman – meant unreasonably high expectations as he left the cozy confines of Lincoln, Nebraska for the high-pressure job with the Buckeyes.
Many will cite the play of Cardale Jones a season ago or the abysmal play-calling against Michigan State last November, and some of the critics and their quips are probably justified. Simply put, something was definitely off with the Buckeye offense in 2015. Beck was a convenient scapegoat for a fanbase that expected Ohio State to run through and over their competition on the way to another national title.
The truth about what happened in 2015 may never be fully divulged, but Beck's reputation certainly took a shot. To recover it, the Buckeyes' quarterback coach will need a two-pronged plan of attack, one that will require an increased presence both on the recruiting trail and then this fall on the scoreboard. If the last few months are any indication, he's up to the challenge: Beck's recruiting has been nothing short of spectacular since the end of last season.
Beck spearheaded the recruitment – silently – of then Maryland commitment Dwayne Haskins Jr., working behind the scenes to get Haskins and his family to Ohio State for a December official visit. That visit ultimately led to a commitment from Haskins and helped reel in fellow Maryland prospect Keandre Jones, two key members of the Buckeyes' 2016 class.
As the calendar year changed to 2016, Beck has become an integral part of the Ohio State recruiting machine. Like his predecessor, his reputation in Texas, a state he recruited heavily while at Nebraska, has opened the doors for the Buckeyes all over the Lone Star state. Ohio State has a commitment from La Grange's J.K. Dobbins, a top-50 player nationally.
Thanks to Beck's relationships in Texas, the Scarlet and Gray lead the way for five-stars Jeffrey Okudah and Baron Browning and they've also become a major player for linebacker Anthony Hines III, who visited last weekend. Justin, Texas' Darrell Simpson, a four-star prospect in the 2018 class, as well linebacker Alston Orji and his brother Anfernee, a 2019 prospect, also came to Ohio State last week; Beck is the lead recruiter for all of them. Okudah will visit Columbus again this Friday and it seems the Buckeyes could be closing in on commitments from four of Texas' top-10 prospects in the 2017 class.
Tim Beck with a pair of Texas prospects, brothers Alston and Anfernee Orji, during Ohio State's camp last Saturday. via
Recruiting Texas isn't the primary part of Beck's job, recruiting and developing quarterbacks, however, is. From the day he arrived at Ohio State, that has been Beck's biggest focus and it started immediately upon his hiring when he had to re-recruit Buckeye redshirt freshman Joe Burrow, who had committed to Herman seven months before Beck's arrival in Columbus. If you consider Burrow a "tag-team" effort between Herman and Beck, which you should, there's been absolutely no drop off in quarterback recruiting after Houston's new coach left. In fact, you could make a reasonable argument that Beck has recruited better than Herman.
From 2012, when Urban Meyer took over, here are the quarterbacks that have signed or committed to Ohio State, taking a small liberty and including a 2018 prospect that the Buckeyes may land in the next few weeks.*
| year | player | composite ranking | star ranking | herman or beck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | C. JONES | 10 (PRO-STYLE) | ★★★ | HERMAN (ORIGINALLY PART OF 2011 CLASS) |
| 2013 | J.T. BARRETT | 2 (DUAL-THREAT) | ★★★★ | HERMAN |
| 2014 | S. COLLIER | 17 (DUAL-THREAT) | ★★★ | HERMAN |
| 2015 | J. BURROW | 9 (DUAL-THREAT) | ★★★★ | HERMAN/BECK |
| 2016 | D. HASKINS | 7 (PRO-STYLE) | ★★★★ | BECK |
| 2017 | D. CLARK | 15 (PRO-STYLE) | ★★★★ | HERMAN |
| 2017 | T. MARTELL | 1 (DUAL-THREAT) | ★★★★ | BECK |
| 2018 | *E. JONES | 2 (DUAL-THREAT) | ★★★★ | BECK |
Certainly, some of Ohio State's recent success in recruiting quarterbacks stems from the play of the offense under Herman. What Beck has done an exceptional job with has been pinpointing the guys that fit the Ohio State system and quickly evaluating and closing on them. In some ways, the Buckeye offense runs itself and he's picked up the reins that Herman left and has done a better-than-he-gets-credit-for job of making sure the right pieces will be in place while opening doors for Chris Ash, Kerry Coombs, Greg Schiano and Tony Alford to recruit in Texas.
Recruiting the best players is one-half of the recipe for winning national championships, and Beck is doing that at a championship level right now. This fall, as J.T. Barrett takes over the quarterback room without controversy and with a more confident Beck, can the Ohio State assistant put the finishing touches on erasing the critiques of 2015?
