Why Jason Beck might be the answer for Michigan football

The past two seasons, at New Mexico and Utah, respectively, Jason Beck turned in the country’s fourth-best total offense in yards per game and the second-best rushing offense. Now, he’ll have an opportunity to transform Michigan football, but there are questions about what his efficacy will be in his first year in Ann Arbor.

But perhaps he deserves a little more trust?

It’s not like Beck took over already elite offensive attacks at either stop. New Mexico was a little better off when he arrived, having had the No. 45 offense in the country in 2023 before he made the Lobos the fourth-best in 2024. He departed after just one year, taking over a Utah program that had the No. 115 offense in the nation in 2024, and got the Utes up to No. 4 in just one year. So why can’t he do that at Michigan?

The Wolverines did take a step forward, going from 2024 to 2025, with Chip Lindsey elevating the No. 129 offensive attack to 59th overall a year ago. Beck won’t be taking over a completely dysfunctional unit, and his schemes should actually fit the personnel in Ann Arbor better than the still-disjointed attack was in 2025. There wasn’t a cohesive plan for the offense last year, as Lindsey’s preferred style of offense clashed with former head coach Sherrone Moore’s run-first attack. Beck has proffered that he tailors his scheme to the talent at every stop, and in Ann Arbor, he’ll have more talent at his disposal than he’s had to this point. Though he’ll also be going up against tougher defenses in the Big Ten, he’ll be able to compensate by having a top-overall quarterback (as a recruit) in Bryce Underwood, a top-tier rushing attack with Underwood, Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter, and Bryson Kuzdzal, and a promising offensive line that should take a step forward this year.

The questions tend to center around Underwood and his development. For the past two seasons, Beck has had Devon Dampier leading the charge at quarterback, and while he statistically took a slight step back in 2025, his passing numbers weren’t much different than that of Underwood. He threw for 2,490 yards at 63.5% — but the big difference was he threw 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Underwood threw for 2,428 yards at 60.3% with 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. If Beck can get his Michigan QB to be slightly more efficient and cut down on the turnovers while increasing his red zone throws (and he should have more opportunities, given Beck’s track record in scoring offense), then that should make a big part of the difference.

Additionally, Beck has stated that he intends to run Underwood instead of Moore’s adage that if you’re going to run the quarterback, you’d better have two. That should keep defenses more off-kilter compared to being able to go all in defending the running backs while daring the pass game to beat them.

So, it stands to reason that Michigan will be better offensively. Perhaps a lot better. The question is more so how much Beck will improve that side of the ball compared to whether he will. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility to believe that the offense in Ann Arbor could make vast improvements, to the point where it’s a true strength, and as explosive as any in the country. Just because that hasn’t been the case for the Wolverines in recent history doesn’t mean that it won’t be the case with Beck leading the charge.

Because he has a short-term track record that indicates that it’s more likely than not.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Jason Beck looks to transform Michigan football offense