Beck Taking His Football Talents to UMass

outgoing senior Derek Beck had many options to play football at the next level.

He was recruited by Big East power West Virginia, Temple and James Madison among many others, but one school got his attention over the rest—the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Beck, who had 37 receptions for 621 yards this past season for the Panthers, said he’s excited to be playing at UMass, one of the best programs in NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA).

The Minutemen won a national title in 1998 and have collected 22 conference championships spanning three different conferences—the team currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association. Its last national title game appearance was in 2006 when the team lost to Appalachian St. 28-17.

Last year, UMass went 6-5.

“They told me if I play my game and if they see what they saw on my highlight tape, they will probably have a spot for me,” said Beck of potentially playing right away for coach Kevin Morris and the Minutemen.

Beck, whose 6-foot-3 frame and athletic ability caused matchup problems for Panther opponents, said he will miss playing for Bridgewater-Raritan.

“I’m going to miss the sense of family we had,” he said. “I’m going to miss the players and the bonds we made and the coaches. I’m going to miss them a lot too.”

Football coach Scott Bray said he was proud of Beck’s accomplishments in Bridgewater and, most of all, lauded his classy manner.

“We are extremely proud of Derek and what he has done for our program,” Bray said. “Derek is a special athlete with exceptional talent, but most of all, he is coachable and unselfish.”

Bray said he believes Beck has the ability, work ethic and drive to make an impact at UMass.

“This is a great opportunity for him and I believe if he keeps building on his work ethic and commits himself to that over the next four years, he will able to achieve great things at the next level,” Bray said.

To that end, after signing with UMass on National Signing Day earlier this month, Beck has been training with the help of his father, Curlin Beck, who played collegiate football at West Virginia in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

“I’m working on improving my speed and quickness, and getting my core strength up,” Derek Beck said.

Despite starring in high school, Beck said that in order to take the next step and play effectively in college, he needs to work on his entire game.

“I have to get ready for the speed change of the game,” he said. “The game moves faster in college, and I have to work on my ball-catching skills.”

Another key adjustment for Beck will be moving from a predominantly spread offense in high school to more of a traditional pro-style offense at UMass.

“I think I fit in well," he said. "It’s just a little bit of an adjustment from the spread we ran at Bridgewater, but I think I can make the adjustment."

Beck, who also collected 921 return yards this year, said the atmosphere of the college football game is something he’s looking forward to.

“I’m looking forward to Saturdays with the fans and their enthusiasm,” he said. “UMass has a good football tradition, and the incoming class wants to build on what they have."

“The whole student body was very welcoming, and they were all saying I needed to come up there," he added. "I felt really welcomed there, and I’ve made a lot of new friends at UMass.”