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Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/112152
LUCAS AT LARGE M I K E LUCA S ��� UWB A DGERS.C OM Beatty ready for next step at Wisconsin A s a Virginia high school coach, Chris Beatty was a link in the recruiting chain to college recruiters who each had their own style in delivering their pitch to Beatty���s players. Nobody drew more attention to Beatty���s program than the incomparable Percy Harvin, one of the top prospects in the nation. Harvin had scholarship offers from all the heavyweights. ���You learn a lot about recruiting,������ said Beatty, who guided Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Va., to a 40-2 record and three straight trips to the state championship game (2003-05). ���I was fortunate to have a lot of good players,������ he went on. ���And when the recruiters leave, you sit back and see what people did well and not so well because the players talk about it.������ Harvin, a celebrated prep AllAmerican, wound up going to Florida, where he starred for the Gators before moving on to the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. Armed with a state title and an overall mark of 78-18 during his eight years as a head coach at three different Virginia high schools, Beatty also used Landstown as a springboard to the college ranks. In 2006, Beatty made the jump to Hampton University, a critical step on a career path that would eventually lead him to Madison as the final addition to Gary Andersen���s staff at Wisconsin. Beatty, 39, who will coach the UW wide receivers, is no stranger 10 �� VARSITY FEB R UA RY 28, 2013 to the Big Ten. Or the vagaries of the profession (i.e. when a first-year head coach goes 2-10, somebody���s head is going to roll). A year ago, Beatty was Illinois��� co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Nothing went right on offense, least of all an early injury to QB Nathan Scheelhaase, and Beatty was released in January. ���It was a difficult situation,������ said Beatty. ���Most of the people in the business understand how these things go.I learned a lot ��� good and bad. It���s part of what makes you a better coach because, in this profession, everybody goes through something like this at one stage or another. It was just my time.������ Beatty���s only connection on the Wisconsin staff was Thomas Hammock. Beatty took over as the running backs coach at Northern Illinois after Hammock left for the same job at Minnesota. ���I did my research on Coach Andersen,������ Beatty said. ���He was everything I had heard ��� a really good guy, really thorough, really into having someone who has a good relationship with the players.������ Finding some receiving options to complement Jared Abbrederis will be a priority. Last season, Abbrederis had 49 catches. Five other wide-outs ��� with at least one reception ��� combined for 48. ���Hopefully we can develop somebody, whomever that may be; it might be one of the freshmen coming in,������ said Beatty, who left East Tennessee State in ���94 as its all-time leader in receiving yards. (Rob Wheelwright and Jazz Peavy are the wideouts in Andersen���s first recruiting class. Jordan Fredrick, Kenzel Doe, Jeff Duckworth, Chase Hammond and Reggie Love are among the returners.) ���Hopefully we can get one of those guys playing up to the level where they can complement Jared on the other side and take some pressure off of him. We want to be able to lighten his load a little bit.������ Last season, Beatty admired Abbrederis from afar ��� the other sideline at Camp Randall. Wisconsin whipped Illinois 31-14 and Abbrederis had seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. ���I knew how good he was,������ said Beatty. ���I���ve had the fortune to coach some NFL guys and I���d like to see him have a chance to do that. ���That���s kind of what I told him, ���Look, I want to build on the things that you���ve done well and try to take that next step.��� He has been coached up really well.������ All of Wisconsin���s receivers, Beatty promised, will have some identifiable characteristics despite the uncertainty on who might be throwing them the football. ���I want them to be disciplined,������ he said. ���They���re going to be where they���re supposed to be and they���re going to be quarterback-friendly. They���re going to make his job easier.������ They���re also going to block downfield for the tailbacks, a staple with the Badgers and Beatty. ���No question,������ he said laughing. ���We���re going to be physical, no doubt about that.������