Syracuse set to hire former UVA offensive coaches Beck and Anae

By Jerry Ratcliffe

According to reports out of Syracuse, the Orange will hire two former Virginia assistant coaches, offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, for the same positions on the Orange coaching staff.

Anae left Virginia’s program more than a week ago, and he will replace Sterlin Gilbert, who was Syracuse’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Beck was scheduled to replace Anae as UVA’s play-caller for this week’s inaugural Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston, which was cancelled Sunday after the Cavaliers program was shut down due to Covid issues.

Both had worked under Bronco Mendenhall for the last nine years at Virginia (six seasons) and BYU. Mendenhall surprisingly resigned as UVA’s head coach a few days following the Cavaliers’ loss to rival Virginia Tech in the season finale. Virginia hired Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott to replace Mendenhall.

Many Cavaliers fans had hoped Elliott might retain Beck to guide an offense that featured record-breaking quarterback Brennan Armstrong. In fact, Armstrong had expressed a strong interest in working with Beck for one more season.

It is unknown whether Beck was interested in returning to Virginia or if Elliott was considering keeping him in the program.

In the previous 126 seasons of UVA football prior to Beck’s arrival, the Cavaliers never had a 3,000-yard passer and could boast only one quarterback to post 3,000+ yards of total offense in a season. In Beck’s six seasons at Virginia, he’s coached three: Kurt Benkert (now with the Green Bay Packers), Bryce Perkins (L.A. Rams) and Armstrong, who has a year of eligibility remaining. Beck also coached Taysom Hill at BYU. Hill is with the New Orleans Saints.

Between 2013 and this season, Beck’s quarterbacks have averaged more than 3,200 passing yards and more than 500 rushing yards.

There are rumors that Elliott could bring former Clemson and NFL quarterback Tajh Boyd to Virginia in some capacity for his coaching staff. Boyd, a Virginia native, has served on Dabo Swinney’s coaching staff this past year overseeing player development.

Boyd was Clemson’s starting quarterback for three years before being drafted by the New York Jets in 2014.