Jason Beck leaned back in his chair.
On his feet, he wore black sandals — slides with the Ute logo on them.
But don’t be fooled by the casual appearance on the job. Utah’s new offensive coordinator is ready to work.
In December, Beck was hired after a one-season stint at New Mexico and tasked with fixing what was the second-worst offense in the Big 12 in 2024.
So what’s his plan? Beck aims to bring balance to Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham’s defensive force. He wants to bring a common-sense approach to Utah’s offensive unit.
“The offense is just kind of based around playing to your personnel, to your players,” Beck said.
“It’s all about identifying your best players and putting them in positions to have success and to play well. A lot of times that’s driven through the quarterback. It starts with him. It starts with the offensive line, with what they can do, and then it goes to the other skill positions. ... But it’s about being quarterback centered and playing to your personnel.”
Beck’s strategy worked last season. The Lobos had the fourth-ranked offense in the nation, averaging 484.4 yards per game in the Mountain West.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) New University of Utah football offensive coordinator Jason Beck is pictured on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
While vetting potential candidates this offseason, Utah defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley was impressed with what he saw on tape. He’s even more excited to scheme against it for the first time this spring.
“I obviously have watched a ton of his offense, and I love it,” Scalley said. “It creates problems for defensive coordinators for a multitude of reasons: The formations into the boundary, the shifts in motions, the quarterback-run game, a lot of these things ... cause defensive coordinators to really have to put in the work.
“I’m so fired up for this offense.”
The cornerstone of Beck’s offense will start with junior transfer quarterback Devon Dampier.
The Tuscon, Arizona, native passed for 2,768 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. He also made a sizable impact on the ground, rushing 155 times for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Dampier will likely slot in as Utah’s starting quarterback next season with longtime starter Cam Rising no longer with the team after missing most of the 2024 season with a hand injury and a season-ending ankle injury.
(Butch Dill | AP) New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier (4) looks to throw a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Auburn, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Auburn, Ala.
“He knows we’ll tweak some things and adapt some things,” Beck said of Dampier. “He’s already up and running because he’s been in it for a year. [He knows] what it’s supposed to look like at a high level for the other guys to come around and how that permeates throughout. ... I have that history of knowing him at a really high level. So you’re already starting from that point.”
Whittingham added: “Devon is a true, in every sense of the word, dual-threat quarterback. I mean, he’s a terrific runner, he’s a very good thrower. We expect to get his completion percentage bumped up a little bit this year. We think that’ll happen just through maturity and familiarity in the system. But he’s a guy that was only sacked four times last year. ... We think that he’s obviously the perfect fit for this offense.”
It might even help to have star wide receiver Dorian Singer back for a fifth season. According to Whittingham, he and the Utes are surveying all options to get a waiver from the NCAA.
Singer and Dampier already have built-in chemistry, as well.
They played in high school together and still are best friends.
“He’s a proven player in this league,” Beck said of potentially having Singer back. “So to have that back would be great if it worked out. I’m assuming they have some pretty good chemistry from their time together. If that were to work out you’re building on all that chemistry that they’ve developed over time. A lot of positives with those things.”
For Utah to have success in its second season in the Big 12, Beck will have to have success offensively. Whittingham and the Utes have been at their best with high-powered offenses.
That’s how they captured the 2021 and 2022 Pac-12 championships with Rising.
But that’s no challenge for Beck.
It’s why he took the job in the first place.
“What a great opportunity to be a part of such a great program,” Beck said. “The success they’ve had over a long period of time in the Pac-12 Conference playing and winning conference championships. It was just a no-brainer for me to be able to join such a great program and to be a part of it.”
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