Maryland Football: Could Someone On The Staff Be Promoted?

With Walt Bell departing for Florida State, we take a look at  a possible in-house candidate to fill the Offensive Coordinator role.

Chris Beatty is one of the best in-house coaches that could replace Walt Bell as offensive coordinator. Since 2016, he has been an Associate Head Coach, and in charge of the wide receiver position at Maryland. His only stint as a full time offensive coordinator came in 2006, when he led the Hampton University offense.

During that 2006 season, Hampton finished the season with a 10-2 record, losing to New Hampshire in the first round FCS Playoffs. Beatty’s offense averaged just over 34 points per game, and had a balanced attack of 175 rushing yards and 176 passing yards per game. With some higher caliber athletes at Maryland, Beatty’s offense could thrive even more.

Throughout his time coaching, Beatty has had a hand in the growth of some tremendous football talents. Just to name a few, he has coached Percy Harvin, Tavon Austin, and Maryland NFL hopeful DJ Moore.

Beatty also has had a big hand in Maryland’s recruiting on both sides of the ball. For 2018, he is listed as the primary recruiter for nine commits, including former high school standout, Byron Cowart. Having a larger role such as offensive coordinator could help him recruit even more players in the future.

If Beatty can make the jump to coordinator and hold his position of wide receiver coach, it would help out DJ Durkin a ton. With Bell and running backs coach Anthony Tucker leaving, Durkin needs to hire both a quarterbacks and running backs coach for this upcoming season.

These will be major hires for Durkin, and they need to be made quick. Although Maryland has already signed 22 out of their 24 commits, these shakeups on offense will be crucial when trying to close in on further signees.