ORLANDO, FL − Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham said his staff would quickly round into form during the broadcast of Michigan’s 41-27 loss to Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 31, and he wasn’t kidding.
Less than 24 hours later, it appears that Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck is headed to Ann Arbor to work under Whittingham in the same capacity, Whittingham said on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” The move has been expected since shortly after Whittingham was hired Dec. 26, but now is official.
Utah was No. 5 in the nation in scoring offense (41.4 points per game) and exceeded that in Wednesday’s 44-22 victory in the Las Vegas Bowl over Nebraska – a game that was supposed to be Whittingham’s last with the program. Instead, he said goodbye to his team last week and came to Florida to get a jumpstart on relationship building.
The Utes were No. 6 in the country with 478.6 yards per game and No. 2 in rushing offense with 269.8 rushing yards per game to go with 37 rushing touchdowns while leading the nation with 6.1 yards per carry. Whittingham told reporters after his introductory press conference U-M will be a power spread attack based out of “11” personnel. He can do exactly that with Beck, who runs a ton of run options and run-pass options – something U-M QB Bryce Underwood really improved with as the 2025 season went on.
In a story with KSL.com earlier this year, Whittingham described how Beck liked to “pickle the defense.”
“Not only schematically within coverages, but by position — putting defensive ends, linebackers in situations where they can’t be right,” Whittingham said. “If they do one thing, we do this; and if they do the other thing, we do that. So that is a big part of it.
“Jason has a really good feel for getting the most out of his guys and putting them in positions where they can do the things they do best. Instead of asking the guy to do something that maybe is not his cup of tea, he does a great job of finding their role and maximizing that role.”
Beck spent one year in Salt Lake City after one season in New Mexico and two at Syracuse. He has coached quarterbacks every year since 2013, including a seven-year stint in Virginia (2015-21) and three years at BYU (2013-15) before that.
Beck, 45, has a history of developing quarterbacks. Devon Dampier became the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year this season after following Beck from New Mexico to Utah – he completed 63.5% of his pass attempts for 2,490 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. His QBR (84.4) was No. 7 in the nation, and he also ran 146 times for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns.
On paper, much like the Whittingham hire is for Michigan, this seems like a very nice fit for Underwood and should help Michigan improve on offense dramatically – U-M was No. 58 in total offense (396.6 yards per game) in 2025 and No. 106 in the pass game (185.8).
“He’s a guy that’s moved the football and scored points everywhere he’s been,” Whittingham said on ESPN. “It’s going to be a big plus for us having him here in Ann Arbor, and as well as a bunch of the other guys that were on the staff at Utah are going to come with him.”
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football set to hire Jason Beck as offensive coordinator
Reporting by Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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