University of Massachusets Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Assistant Running Backs Coach
Alma Mater: Georgia '05; Florida State '94
Season at Massachusetts: Second
Jeff Beckles enters his second season at UMass in 2026 after joining the Minutemen as an assistant running backs coach in August 2025. He previously spent the 2024 season as the running backs coach at Ball State.
Before Ball State, Beckles spent nine seasons coaching the running backs at Middle Tennessee. During his tenure, the Blue Raiders developed one of Conference USA's top rushing attacks, averaging nearly 192 rushing yards per game in 2016. Beckles coached First Team All-Conference USA selection I'Tavius Mathers, who set the program's single-season rushing record with 1,561 yards while becoming just the seventh FBS player to record 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season. He also mentored Conference USA All-Freshman selection Chaton Mobley and helped convert linebacker Tavares Thomas into the team's leading rusher in 2017.
Beckles spent the 2015 season at Samford, where the Bulldogs led the Southern Conference in scoring offense (34.6 points per game) and total offense (479.7 yards per game).
From 2010-14, Beckles coached at Troy, helping develop several standout running backs, including 1,000-yard rusher Shawn Southward and future pros DuJuan Harris, Brandon Burks and Jordan Chunn.
Earlier in his career, Beckles coached wide receivers and running backs at Central Michigan, where he helped develop Ontario Sneed into one of the top players in program history.
Beckles also served as a graduate assistant at Georgia from 2002-05, working with the wide receivers and running backs, after beginning his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at USF in 2001 and wide receivers coach at Nicholls State in 2000.
Over his coaching career, Beckles has been part of staffs that earned 13 FBS bowl appearances, including five at Middle Tennessee and eight at Troy.
As a player, Beckles was a wide receiver at Florida State from 1989-93, helping the Seminoles win the 1993 ACC championship and national championship while appearing in five consecutive bowl games.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Beckles earned a bachelor's degree in social science education from Florida State in 1994 and a master's degree in higher education from Georgia in 2005.
