Three decades ago, Tim Beck was offered a job on USF's inaugural football coaching staff. But the timing wasn't right. He had just accepted a position at another school. So that was that.
But Beck always kept an eye on USF's football progress, admiring it from afar, knowing that the program was capable of big things.
Three decades later, Beck is USF's offensive coordinator.
"Sometimes, life takes some funny twists and turns,'' Beck said.
Approaching his 60th birthday, Beck said the time is right for USF football.
With a resume that includes 12 seasons as offensive-coordinator (or co-OC) at Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas and NC State — plus three seasons as head coach at Coastal Carolina University (three bowl appearances) — Beck is the most experienced member of Brian Hartline's staff.
Want to curl up with some college-football stories? How about tales of life with the red-clad passion backdrop of Nebraska fans? What was the Ohio State University quarterback room like when occupied by JT Barrett, Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow? How about the thrill of Texas winning an epic 48-45 Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma behind quarterback Sam Ehlinger, then capping the season with a Sugar Bowl victory against Georgia?
Tim Beck is definitely your tour guide for such moments.
Hartline, the former offensive coordinator at Ohio State, saw a kindred spirit in Beck, who was the Buckeyes' co-OC from 2015-16 under head coach Urban Meyer.
"Tim was at Ohio State before I returned (as a Buckeyes assistant), but I know he understands the culture and type of philosophy of Urban Meyer and there's a lot of resemblance to that here at USF now,'' Hartline said. "Tim understands how we operate. He knows the buzzwords. He understands the type of program we're looking to build.
"We're going to tie in a couple of different eras and systems (that were used at Ohio State) and I think it's going to be a seamless process. When I was putting this staff together, as I rattled my brain on offensive coordinator, it ultimately brought me back to Coach Beck. He's ideal for this program. We have a great understanding of where this USF offense can go.''
Where is that?
And how will it get there?
What will typify USF's offensive style?
Beck was pointed.
"Scoring touchdowns,'' he said.
Then he elaborated.
"Look, there are times when my my wife says, 'Why did you run that play? It wasn't very good,' '' Beck said, laughing. "And I'll say, 'Well, I didn't design it that way. I didn't say we'd run this play for minus-2 yards.'
"Here's the deal: We want to be physical. We want to be tough. And we want to be fast. You recruit good athletes, then let them play hard and free. We have a tremendous staff that will dive into these guys. We'll have multiple schemes. We're still learning our guys. But we're going to put them in the best position to succeed.''
Beck said the best offenses build a scheme around the talents of the program's players — instead of placing those players into a rigid box.
"I think, for the most part, you have to run the football to control the tempo of the game,'' Beck said. "If you can do that, you can dictate the things that you want to do. But make no mistake, you have to throw it to win. In this league (American Conference), especially, there are a lot of high-scoring offenses. When you get opportunities, you have to score points by getting the ball to your playmakers and letting them do their thing.
"It starts with the quarterback. What can he handle? What's he good at? Then it goes to the offensive line. What are they good at? What can they handle? Are we a zone team? Are we a gap team? As we build it and get everyone involved, we'll learn those answers. Football is actually easy. It's the coaches who make it harder.''
So, what about those USF quarterbacks? Beck said he understands the fan interest. Everyone wants to know: Who starts? How does the depth chart shape up?
"I evaluate everything … from how the offseason programs are going for our quarterbacks to how they are doing academically because I believe that who they are all the time is who they are,'' Beck said. "You can't flip a switch and all of a sudden say, 'I'm going to be really good now because it's football.' The character of a person is shown on his consistency and the activity in his daily life.
"Once you evaluate everything over time, it ultimately becomes … who's going to move the team? Who's going to protect the football? Who's going to score touchdowns? Over the years, I've seen where it's not always the most talented guy. It's the right guy. You need the right guy to lead the team, the guy your team rallies around.''
Beck said he pays particular attention to the turnover margin. He believes it's one of the prime factors that determines winning. Third-down performance is huge. Also the ability to score touchdowns consistently instead of settling for field goals.
"Field goals keep you in games,'' Beck said. "But touchdowns are going to win the games.''
Beck has built a career based on winning programs and standout individual accomplishments.
At Ohio State, Beck helped produce a two-season mark of 23-3, including a 2016 squad that ranked 11th nationally in rushing (245.2 yards per game) and 13th in scoring (39.4 points per game).
At Texas, Beck helped Ehlinger to the program's second-best total offense season (4,326) and 39 total touchdowns in 2019, plus career totals of 11,436 yards passing (94 touchdowns) and 1,903 yards rushing (33 scores).
At NC State, Beck oversaw Devin Leary, who became one of three quarterbacks in ACC history with a 3,400-yard, 35-touchdown regular season
"Tim Beck has had great success, prolific success, at a lot of high-profile places,'' Hartline said.
Beck's teams have appeared in 18 bowl games. In 2020, he was named the nation's eighth-best recruiter by 247Sports. He's also a three-time nominee for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
And now there's room on Beck's resume for one of the most intriguing programs of all — USF.
"This is an incredible place, and I think it has only scratched the surface,'' Beck said. "I've had the privilege of being around a lot of great places, but this (USF) is a gem. This is a gold mine, and it is on the rise. I think people (nationally) are starting to learn more about it. I'm very blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to be here.
"I brag about this place all the time. There are so many great things going on here. And I think it's just the beginning.''
–#GoBulls–
