Beckman began his coaching career at Auburn as a graduate assistant under Pat Dye from 1988 to 1989. Auburn were SEC co-champions in those seasons, and Beckman earned a master's degree in education from Auburn. From 1990 to 1995, Beckman was secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Western Carolina. He later became defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Elon, a position he would hold from 1996 to 1997. Beckman coached at Bowling Green as defensive coordinator and associate head coach from 1998 to 2004 and at Ohio State under Jim Tressel as cornerbacks coach from 2005 to 2006, where he was a three-time nominee for the Frank Broyles Award. Beckman was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State University from 2007 to 2008. The Cowboys posted a record of 16–10 during those seasons.
Toledo
On December 4, 2008, Beckman was hired as the head coach at Toledo, to replace Tom Amstutz, who resigned during the 2008 season. Beckman's teams at Toledo saw consistent improvement. The 2008 team he inherited went 3–9. In 2009, his first year as a head coach, his team improved to finish 5–7. In the following year, his team finished 8–5, 7–1 in the MAC, earning a berth to the 2010 Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl, which they lost 34–32 to the FIU Golden Panthers. In his final year at Toledo, Coach Beckman finished 9–4, 7–1 in the MAC to be West Division co-champions with Northern Illinois. This team earned a berth to the 2011 Military Bowl. However, Beckman left after the regular season to become the head coach for Illinois.
Illinois
At Illinois, Beckman went 12–25 in three seasons, and only won four games in Big Ten play. In his third season, the Illini managed to qualify for a bowl with a 6–6 record, but lost 35–18 to Louisiana Tech in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. On August 28, 2015—just a week before what was to be his fourth season—Beckman was fired after the preliminary results of an internal investigation substantiated accusations of gross player mistreatment. Most seriously, the investigation found that he'd forced players to play through serious injuries and had the medical staff clear these players too soon. In a statement, Beckman called his ouster a "rush to judgment" that violated the terms of his contract, and stated that he intended to "vigorously defend both my reputation and my legal rights." On April 11, 2016, Beckman settled with the university for a one time payment of $250,000 with the decision of firing "for cause" due to the mistreatment of players standing.
North Carolina
On August 24, 2016; Beckman was hired to serve as a volunteer assistant defensive coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels, working under head coach Larry Fedora. Beckman and Fedora have a working history together, having both served as assistant coaches on Mike Gundy's staff at Oklahoma State in 2007. However, after a firestorm of criticism, Beckman resigned from this position the next day, claiming he did not want to be a "distraction." It was later revealed that UNC chancellor Carol Folt had strongly objected to Beckman's presence, even in a volunteer role, once she learned about the arrangement.
Controversies
Toledo
In 2013, a former Toledo football player, Kyle Cameron, sued Beckman, the University of Toledo, and five members of Beckman's staff at Toledo for negligence and for violating Ohio's anti-hazing law. Cameron's lawsuit and appeal were dismissed as the suit was filed through the incorrect division of the Lucas County Court. However, Cameron's legal counsel has asked the Supreme Court of Ohio to review the case.
