Jeff Beckles - Football Coach - University of Massachusetts Athletics

Jeff Beckles

Title:
Assistant Running Backs Coach

Jeff Beckles joined the Massachusetts football staff in August 2025 as the Assistant Running Backs Coach after spending the 2024 season as the running backs coach at Ball State.

Prior to Ball State, Beckles coached the running backs for nine seasons at Middle Tennessee State. While with the Blue Raiders he guided the group to 191.8 rushing yards per game, ranking second in the CUSA, marking the biggest increase in yards per carry in the nation at the time. He also mentored 2016 First Team All-CUSA player I’Tavius Mathers and the C-USA All-Freshman Team member Chaton Mobley in 2018. Mathers set a single-season rushing record with 1,561 yards, while becoming just the seventh player in FBS history to have 1,500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in the same season, as Mobley led the team in rushing during the 2018 season. Additionally, Beckles turned linebacker Tavares Thomas into the team’s leading rusher in 2017.

In 2015, Beckles coached the running backs at Samford. In the year, the offense ranked first in the SoCon with 34.6 points and 479.7 yards per game.

From 2010 to 2014, Beckles spent time at Troy where he worked with DuJuan Harris and Shawn Southward, as the duo combined for over 2,000 yards rushing in 2010. With Beckles help, Southward became the seventh Troy player to top the 1,000-yard mark and was named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team. Beckles also coached former professional football players Brandon Burks and Jordan Chunn along with Harris.

Beckles previously spent time at Central Michigan, coaching wide receivers in 2003 and the running backs from 2007 through 2009. He aided Ontario Sneed during his time, who led the Chippewas in rushing in 2008 and finished his career eighth in school history in career rushing yards.

Beckles also served as a graduate assistant coach at Georgia, working with the wide receivers and running backs from 2002 to 2005, and was a graduate assistant at USF, primarily mentoring the wide receiver group in 2001. Beckles was also the wide receivers coach in 2000 at Nicholas State.

Throughout his coaching career, Beckles helped his respective teams to 13 FBS Bowl Games. He aided Middle Tennessee State to five - Hawaii Bowl (2016), Camellia Bowl (2017), R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (2018), Bahamas Bowl (2021) and Hawai’i Bowl (2022). With Troy, Beckles and the Trojans went to eight, including seven consecutive bowl games (2004-2010).

Beckles was a wide receiver for Florida State from 1989 to 1993. He helped the team to five straight bowl games during his time. In 1993, the Seminoles garnered the ACC title and a National Championship.

Beckles, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, earned his bachelor’s in social science education from Florida State in 1994 and his master’s degree in higher education from Georgia in 2005.