Even at the top of College Football, Charlie Becker Refuses to Settle

Charlie Becker is currently at the top of his game. He has 694 yards and eight touchdowns, all on 17.8 yards per reception. It is safe to say that Becker will be a top pick in the NFL draft and that he is a top receiver in college football. These are not controversial takes. Everyone knows that Becker is at the top of the college football landscape, and yet Becker is reluctant to settle.

Indiana is coming off its first loss in 22 games, and the team knows they need to be better. Becker immediately sought to improve himself not on the field but off it after the game.

After Indiana won the Big Ten Championship game over the Ohio State Buckeyes, Becker was caught up in the moment and turned the classic O-H-I-O chant into an O-H-F-U. Becker reconciled his relationship with head coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State team after the game. Becker was asked about this apology.

“I’ve been thinking about that one for a little bit,” Becker said. “It’s a personal thing, I guess. I never want to be on anybody’s bad side. That just wasn’t who I was… So yeah, I’ve just been thinking about that one for a little bit. Decided to apologize to him (Day) and Ohio State for that”.

There’s no football reason for Becker to apologize to Coach Day, but he did it because that’s not what he wants to be. Becker wants to be better. He is always looking for a way to improve on and off the field.

Becker and his co-star Nick Marsh are always amongst the best-graded blocking receivers in the league as well as being lethal in the receiving game. This is something Indiana has done very well under head coach Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator/receiver coach Mike Shannahan. Blocking is an emphasis for these guys, and it shows the work ethic that they have.

“I mean, to be honest, I think there’s a lot more that goes into receiver than being able to run routes and catch balls,” Becker said. “I think a big part of it is that we run the ball 50 percent of the time, pass the ball 50 percent of the time… I know that’s something we work really hard on”.

The effort is there with Becker. It is always apparent. He is indeed one of the fastest players in the game, and has some of the best catching ability, backed up by his stats, in the game, but despite all of this Becker cares more about working on the little things as a receiver. He is never ready to settle.

After the loss to Ohio State, the sentiment has been clear.

“The sun comes up tomorrow,” Cignetti said as his opening statement after the loss.

Becker had a similar sentiment about the team immediately following the loss.

“It sucks,” Becker said. “But the sun’s going to rise tomorrow; we’re going to get better. We’re going to watch the film, and we’re going to compete and get ready for Michigan”.

Becker had nine catches for 165 yards in this game. He was nothing short of excellent, but he wasn’t pleased with the performance. Becker is playing the best football of his career, but he knows that there is room to improve and that the team needs him to be better.