Earlier this year, Trad Beatty thought he was finished with football. After three seasons at Temple, he stepped away from the game, leaving the school with his bachelor’s degree in business.
From Chapin, S.C., he had been a part of Geoff Collins’ first recruiting class (2018) at the school. Beatty started two games in his three seasons and suffered a season-ending concussion in the fifth game of the 2020 season. In a tweet in January, Beatty wrote that “I have decided to step away from football and focus on what lies ahead in my life.” Beatty told the Philadelphia Inquirer in February that he had been contemplating ending his career for more than a year, and that the concussion was “the final straw.”
But when an opportunity to be reunited with Collins and offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude arose, Beatty decided to restart his career.
“It was a crazy situation, honestly,” Beatty said.
Beatty is in a position group with returning starter Jeff Sims, backup Jordan Yates and freshman Chayden Peery. Beatty’s coordinator and position coach is Patenaude, who began recruiting him when he was in eighth grade and Patenaude was offensive coordinator at Coastal Carolina. He also knows several Tech coaches and staffers who came with Collins from Temple.
The culture that Collins has developed at Tech likewise is familiar to him.
“For me, the opportunity came and presented itself, and this is where I kind of felt like this was home, where I knew I wanted to be,” Beatty said. “The commitment I made as a 17-year-old out of high school was to coach Collins’ program, and for me, it was really kind of like a blessing to have the opportunity to come and fulfill that commitment.”
Beatty offers the Yellow Jackets his experience with Patenaude’s offense – he had one season in it in Philadelphia – and three years at the college level. He played in five games and threw a total of 27 passes.
“He can add layers to the meeting room that the younger guys can’t necessarily add because they haven’t seen it all,” Patenaude said. “And even in the middle of a film session, he’ll turn to the guys and say, ‘We’ve got to see that safety coming off the edge a little bit more.’ That type of thing.”
How much Beatty can help the Jackets on the field remains to be seen, given Sims’ firm grip on the starting job. But, the left-handed Beatty – listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds – throws accurately and with a compact motion. In drills, he hits his targets in stride.
“If you give him time in the pocket, with his understanding of what we do, he can just flat out sit back there and throw it,” Patenaude said. “Which gives us a little bit different element than the other guys, who are a little bit more dual-threat.”
Patenaude acknowledged that Beatty isn’t much of a candidate to run, saying that his straight-line speed is good, “but he turns like an oil tanker.”
His value could be as a resource to Sims, Yates and Peery. Patenaude sees him as mature, knowledgeable in the offense, serious and likable.
“What I really want to do is just add value any way I can, whether that’s in the locker room or on the field, on the sidelines on a headset,” Beatty said. “Just really come in here and do the best I can for the guys on the team.”
At Tech, Beatty is enrolled in the master’s program for building construction. He potentially has two more seasons of eligibility, but he said that, “I guess that’ll be kind of up to the coaches.”
Beatty said that he had made the decision to stop playing, as he believed that option was better for his health. He graduated from Temple in May. He announced his decision to play for Tech in June.
“Upon a couple opinions, praying it over with my family, (I) really just felt that when this opportunity came about, that it was something that I should take,” Beatty said. “And so, obviously, being away from the game and having the opportunity to come back, it’s really unique. Football tells you when to stop, not the other way around. So to be back here, it’s a blessing for me.”
