Jason Beck’s run as Michigan’s offensive coordinator is over, but the bigger question hanging over the program is whether the move came far too late to matter.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Kyle Whittingham fired Beck on Sunday, less than a day after saying he didn’t see a reason to make a change following Saturday’s 15-6 loss to Michigan State. The turnaround was sudden, and it came after a stretch that had left Michigan’s offense buried outside the top 100 in nearly every major category.
Beck arrived on a three-year deal and was the highest-paid offensive coordinator in college football, but the results never matched the price tag. He was brought in to help Bryce Underwood after a disappointing freshman season, yet Underwood instead regressed while trying to operate in an offense built around the Rhino, a backup offensive lineman, according to the source. Midway through the season, Tommy Carr took over at quarterback.
Carr did help Michigan beat Penn State, and he also won his first road start at Rutgers. But the offense still kept crashing back to earth. Michigan failed to score a touchdown against Indiana despite three first-and-goal chances, then went nearly the entire game against Michigan State without finding the end zone, going scoreless for the first 58 minutes.
The final straw came on a third-and-8 against the Spartans, when Beck dialed up a run up the middle. That decision only added to the sense that the offense had lost its way long before the firing ever happened.
The move to cut ties with Beck was described as necessary, but overdue. If it was going to rescue the season, the source argues, it should have happened after Indiana - or even after Minnesota. Instead, Michigan waited until the damage was already done.
And that’s where Whittingham comes back into the picture. The source says firing Beck is only the latest sign that the same scrutiny should now land on him. With Ohio State still on the schedule and a costly buyout already attached to Beck’s departure, the message is that the bigger change should be next.
Hell, it should have happened today.
In Other News...
Michigan Fans Have Every Right To Question This QB Decision
Michigans quarterback situation took a sharp turn at halftime against Penn State, when Bryce Underwood was benched and freshman Tommy Carr took over for most of the game. Carrs outing was uneven, including interceptions, but the move still mattered because it signaled a real shift in how the offense was being managed in a game Michigan could not afford to treat casually.
Kyle Whittingham said the offensive coaches recommended sticking with Carr after weighing what they had seen in practice, even though putting Underwood back in was discussed. Whittingham made clear the final call was his, which only adds to the scrutiny around a decision that leaves Michigan fans wondering whether the staff is riding with the hotter hand or simply hoping the choice settles itself the next time the Wolverines take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Offensive Collapse Just Forced A Decision Fans Saw Coming
A rough stretch on offense has finally led to a change for Michigan, which parted ways with offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Jason Beck after a season of disappointing production. The move comes on the heels of a loss to Michigan State, a result that only sharpened the frustration around an attack that never found much rhythm when the Wolverines needed it most.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham made clear he was unhappy with the offenses output, and now the focus shifts to what comes next on that side of the ball. Michigan has not announced a replacement for Beck yet, though several assistants with offensive experience are in the mix as the staff tries to steady a unit that has become impossible to ignore for all the wrong reasons. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Rivalry Loss Just Put Jason Beck Under Real Pressure
Michigans 15-6 loss to Michigan State did more than deepen the frustration around a sputtering offense. It also turned up the heat on offensive coordinator Jason Beck, whose group has struggled to score in the first half of recent home games and now has a short window to show real progress before the season closes out.
With the Wolverines sitting at 5-4 and still needing one more win to reach bowl eligibility, the next three games carry obvious weight. Oregon, UCLA and Ohio State are all still ahead, and while the coaching staff plans to evaluate Beck after the season, the pressure is already obvious: the offense needs to look better fast if he is going to keep his job. [Read more 🡒]