Just a year after acquiring a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback in Cam Ward, Miami again has taken a big swing in the transfer portal. Carson Beck, a former Georgia quarterback who recently withdrew from the NFL Draft and entered the transfer portal, has chosen Miami as where he will spend his last year of eligibility.
This news was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The 23-year-old was Georgia’s starting quarterback the last two seasons and showed flashes of being a top draft pick. After sitting through the dominant back-to-back title runs for the Bulldogs in 2021 and 2022, Beck ascended into becoming the starter following the departure of Stetson Bennett.
In his first season at the helm, Beck led Georgia to a 13-1 season that was ultimately marred by a loss in the conference championship to Alabama that kicked them out of the College Football Playoffs. He posted a 72% completion percentage, throwing for 24 touchdowns with only six interceptions, adding four on the ground as well.
Coming off a dominating bowl win over Florida State, where Beck flashed his talents as a passer, he entered the 2024 season as a projected first-rounder in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But instead of rising even further, Beck faltered at several points in the season. A rough middle-of-the-season stretch included a 13-12 win over lowly Kentucky, a four-turnover game against Alabama that he did nearly bring them back from, and a couple of other three-interception games against Texas and Florida. Through that seven-game stretch, Beck threw 10 touchdowns to 12 interceptions with losses to Ole Miss and Alabama.
This, combined with the rise of prospects like Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders solidifying themselves as two first-round talents, Beck was moved further down draft boards. Beck did have a strong finish to the year, as Georgia ended the regular season 3-0, with Beck throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns against No. 7 Tennessee and five touchdowns in an eight-overtime thriller against Georgia Tech.
In the SEC Championship Game against Texas, Beck suffered a UCL injury on a sack, which forced him to have surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Beck brings a traditional pocket passing style to the position. He has enough athleticism on the college level to occasionally extend plays. He attacks the middle of the field well but struggles when pressured by defenders.
There are questions regarding who Beck is throwing to. The ’Canes will be without there top five receiving targets from last year. Xavier Restrepo, Sam Brown, Jacolby George and tight end Elijah Arroyo all declared for the NFL Draft, and Isaiah Horton transferred to Alabama.
LSU transfer CJ Daniels, who just two years ago with Liberty posted 1000 yards and 10 touchdowns, was added to the roster. Joshisa “Jojo” Trader, who had three receptions for 61 yards in Miami’s bowl game to cap off a mostly quiet freshman season, leads the expected returnees.
Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson did a really good job of working with Ward and turning him into a potential number one overall pick but had less success with Tyler Van Dyke the year prior. His system has proven to be effective and might work well with a quarterback like Beck, who likes to play in rhythm and push the ball downfield.
There will be a lot of questions coming this season with Miami hoping to build off a 10-win season. A lot will fall on an accomplished field general like Beck, who is expected to fully recover from his injury long before fall practice, to answer those questions.