When Tom Herman opted to leave Ohio State to become the head coach at Houston, the Buckeyes had a sudden opening to lead the group of one of the most high-profile position battles in recent college football history.
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer moved quickly in finding Herman’s replacement as the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks coach, hiring former Nebraska offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck.
Beck certainly fell into a nice situation — the quarterback battle at Ohio State between J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller is unlike anything else going on in college football.
But Herman played a large role in the development of each of the three quarterbacks fighting for the Buckeyes’ starting job. His departure could play a bigger role than some people think in how this all plays out.
It begs a couple of questions: Who exactly is Tim Beck? What type of coach is he?
Well, he answered those exact questions in his first meeting with the media in Columbus back on National Signing Day.
“You know, I believe in our guys. They’ve got to be accountable and we’ve got to build trust,” Beck said on Feb. 4. “Being accountable, saying who you are, having integrity, if you’re going to do something, you do it.”
The relationship between a position coach his players is key to the success of any group. The relationship between coach and quarterback, though, is perhaps the most important of all as quarterback is the most vital position in football.
Early on, the Buckeye quarterbacks didn’t see a ton of difference between their old position coach and their new one.
“They’re a lot alike off the field,” Barrett said of Beck and Herman this past spring. “On the field, if anything, Coach Herman didn’t run around as much because he’s old and his knees was bad. It hasn’t changed much.”
“(Beck) doesn’t know us as well yet,” Jones added. “But between us it’s still the same.”
Meyer often stresses that importance between a player and his position coach as well as the cohesiveness of a coaching staff. It’s why Herman’s departure was difficult for Ohio State, but also why he hired Beck.
“I have known Tim for several years and have also watched and competed against him,” Meyer said the day Beck was officially hired. “I always look for coordinators and co-coordinators who will mesh with our staff, our style and can make us better. I believe Tim will do just that.”
Beck isn’t new to the coaching ranks — he started coaching in college as a graduate assistant in 1990 and has spent time at Kansas in addition to Nebraska. But none of his previous jobs have ever seen a situation like the one he’s currently in during his first season at Ohio State.
He knows that. But Beck also knows what he has to do as a position coach to help the Buckeyes in 2015.
“We’re in a unique position,” Beck said. “I’ve got to bond with all those guys in that room. Before I could really coach them and reach them, I’ve got to get to know them.”
