12/31/2019 football Edit

Report: NC State expected to hire Tim Beck as offensive coordinator

Jacey Zembal • TheWolfpackCentral

Writer

Sometimes hiring a new offensive coordinator just takes a phone call.

NC State head coach Dave Doeren has reportedly zeroed in on former Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck per FootballScoop.com.

The Wolfpacker had mentioned Beck as a strong candidate for the position Sunday on the premium The Wolves' Den message board due to a variety of reasons. The most important was that he had previously worked with Doeren.

Former Texas offensive coordinator and current Longhorns quarterbacks coach Tim Beck has reportedly been hired as NC State offensive coordinator. (HookEm.com)

Beck was wide receivers coach at Kansas in 2005 when Doeren was on that staff as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Beck was the passing game coordinator when the Jayhawks went 12-1 in 2007, finishing second in the country in scoring (42.8 points per game) and eighth in total offense (479.8 yards).

Beck also had another strong connection on the NC State staff. He was at Nebraska from 2008-14, which overlapped when NCSU offensive line coach John Garrison was at Nebraska as an intern, assistant offensive line coach/tight ends coach and offensive line coach. Having an offensive coordinator work in concert with the offensive line coach is crucial to an offensive attack.

Beck is still coaching quarterbacks for the Longhorns against Utah on Tuesday. He was demoted from his role as offensive coordinator following the season by head coach Tom Herman, who brought him from Ohio State in 2017. Beck was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Buckeyes from 2015-2016.

Texas is 7-5 overall and 5-4 in the Big 12 this past season, going into tonight’s game against No. 11-ranked Utah. The Longhorns are averaging 35.0 points, 172.0 rushing yards and 296.2 passing yards per game this season. Texas has thrown just nine interceptions and lost four fumbles, and converted on 49.1 percent of third downs and went 35 of 44 on scoring touchdowns in the red zone (41 of 44 in scoring points).

Beck and the Longhorns signed two elite prep quarterbacks in the class of 2020 — Hudson Card of Austin (Texas) Lake Travis, who is ranked No. 112 overall nationally, and Ja’Quinden Jackson of Duncanville (Texas) High, who is ranked No. 183 overall. Both are among the top six dual-threat quarterbacks in the land per Rivals.com.

NC State struggled on offense this past season with co-offensive coordinators Des Kitchings and George McDonald. Kitchings will not be returning to the Wolfpack as running backs coach, so that opening remains or the staff will need to be reshuffled. McDonald is expected to remain on the staff and coach the wide receivers, and quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper is also expected back, but could be in a different role. NC State averaged 22.1 points, 151.2 rushing yards and 229.1 passing yards per game en route to a 4-8 record.

McDonald and nickels coach Aaron Henry are the only assistant coaches remaining from the staff that won a combined 18 games in 2017 and 2018.