Georgia’s castaway became Miami’s treasure, and Carson Beck’s antihero billing suits ‘the U.’
And if we allow ourselves to stop seeing Carson Beck in a black hat, maybe we’ll recognize this as his chance for a comeback story.
Carson Beck need not apologize for liking sports cars, striking NIL deals, dating an influencer or for transferring to Miami after five seasons at Georgia. Just win.
Carson Beck cannot have nice things. Seriously, thieves steal his nice things, and then John Q. College Football Fan laughs at the college quarterback.
When a crew of car bandits stole two of Beck’s rides and one belonging to his girlfriend last week, I detected no cries of “Justice for Carson!” Instead, a collective shrug ensued, as folks mused why a 22-year-old college athlete needs a Lamborghini anyway.
Beck’s expensive sports cars feed into this perception that he needs to focus more on wins and less on wheels. That perception might register as a touch unfair, but after Beck grinned on the sideline like Cheshire Cat in the closing minutes of Georgia’s loss to Mississippi, the narrative cemented that he’s just not all that consumed by winning.
By the time Beck transferred to Miami, he’d become college football’s resident antihero. In other words, he’s perfect for “the U.”
Maybe, on some level, Beck appreciated that. Certainly, Miami should appreciate Beck.
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Georgia’s castaway became Miami’s treasure, and Beck’s arrival buoyed the Hurricanes’ 2025 College Football Playoff hopes.
“He is athletic, he’s smart, he’s got superior arm talent, he’s accurate,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “He wants to be great. One of the best qualities is, he wanted to be here at Miami.
The hierarchy of ACC quarterbacks begins with some ordering of Beck, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and SMU’s Kevin Jennings. Is it any wonder, then, that those three schools are front-runners to win the conference?
I’m thinking Miami couldn’t care less what model of car Beck drives and is more interested in how his elbow recovers. His last dropback for Georgia turned into a fumble, after Texas defender Trey Moore wrenched Beck’s throwing elbow and injured his ulnar collateral ligament. Beck underwent surgery just before Christmas.
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He put his NFL future on hold and broke with Georgia. This Miami reboot gives Beck a chance to not only restore his pro credentials but combat this perception that he’s just not all that motivated to be elite.
Beck’s uptick to an SEC-most 12 interceptions last season at Georgia probably had more to do with losing security blanket Brock Bowers to the NFL and his offensive line’s infirmity than it did with him driving a Lambo instead of a Pinto.
At Miami, Beck will step behind an experienced offensive line that could help him look more like his 2023 self, when he completed 72.4% of his passes while getting more time to throw.
Beck should enjoy doing business against ACC defenses, too. In Cam Ward’s lone season quarterbacking Miami, he became a Heisman Trophy finalist. Now, he’s a projected top-five NFL draft pick. This can prove fertile ground for Beck.
Beck faced a lofty bar at Georgia. He succeeded a predecessor who won two national championships and famously used a flip phone to minimize distraction.
Never mind that Beck spent three seasons loyal to Georgia as a backup quarterback, his hot rods cast him as a distracted hot dog.
Plus, Beck grew up a Florida fan. The nerve! Beck committed to Florida baseball and later Alabama football before finally signing with Kirby Smart’s program.
Contrast Beck’s origin story with that of Stetson Bennett IV, his predecessor who went from walk-on to Georgia’s bourbon-chugging hero.
Then, consider Gunner Stockton, a good ol’ Georgia boy and Beck’s former backup who rallied the Bulldogs to a victory in the SEC championship game after Beck’s second-quarter injury.
Once ESPN revealed in December that Stockton drives a vintage Ford F-150, it just felt like the curtain dropped on Beck at Georgia.
What chance did Beck have to win Georgia fans’ hearts, especially after he threw all those interceptions, in between videos of him putting the pedal to the metal and snapping photos with his Instagram model girlfriend, who doubles as a Miami basketball player?
Beck wore out his welcome with Georgia, but he’s only too ideal for Miami, a program comfortable in the antihero casting.
Beck need not apologize for liking sports cars, striking NIL deals – I wonder if The Club needs a new spokesperson – dating an influencer or for transferring after five seasons at Georgia. Just win.
And if you allow yourself to stop seeing Beck in a black hat, maybe you’ll recognize this as his chance for a comeback story, a redemption tale of a quarterback who lost his touch at Georgia, then respawned in college football’s capital for antiheroes.
Psychology Today once wrote of antiheroes: “They are who they are, and they do as they want – without apology.”
Yeah, that sounds like Miami – and not unlike Beck, either.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.