No one on the Giants’ current coaching staff knows more about Odell Beckham Jr. than Thomas McGaughey.
The longtime special teams coordinator was at LSU from 2011-13, coinciding with Beckham’s three years in college. Beckham is a free agent and arriving Thursday to visit with the Giants, but the visit has not been discussed with one of his former college coaches.
“Nobody asks me anything … If they want my opinion they give it to me,” McGaughey said on Wednesday, smiling and adding he was kidding.
“It was great coaching Odell,” McGaughey added. “He was obviously a dynamic player there from his freshman year all the way up until he left. It was fun to watch him grow, as a young man, as a 17-year old freshman and leaving to become a first-round draft pick and watching him his first few years in the league, he was fun to coach. Super, super talented guy.”
McGaughey said a “good, fond” memory of Beckham was a punt return of “about 60-70 yards for a touchdown” against Ole Miss. McGaughey short-changed Beckham a bit. It was an 89-yard touchdown return, in 2012, when Beckham was a sophomore.
McGaughey did not get back together with Beckham in the NFL. Beckham was the Giants’ first-round pick in 2014. That same year, McGaughey went to the Jets as their special teams coordinator.
Coach Brian Daboll has steadfastly refused to discuss any specifics about the Beckham visit, which is expected to last until Friday.
“I’m worried about Washington right now,” Daboll said. “Understand the question. He’ll obviously be here but in terms of details and things like that my focus is on practice today.”
Beckham is expected to meet with the Bills after visiting with the Giants and complete this portion of his free-agent tour on Monday with a trip to see the Cowboys. He is coming off a second ACL reconstruction of his left knee.
Beckham made headlines earlier this week when he was escorted off a flight at Miami Airport headed for Los Angeles. American Airlines said Beckham failed to follow crew members’ instructions and refused to fasten his seatbelt, and Miami-Dade Police issued a statement saying Beckham appeared to be coming in and out of consciousness. Beckham’s attorney has refuted these accusations.
