When the 2026 NFL Draft is held in Pittsburgh, Commissioner Roger Goodell could walk onto the stage and announce a team’s pick: “Carson Beck, quarterback, Miami.”
By then Georgia football fans will have probably come to grips that the two-year Bulldogs starter went to “The U” for his final college season.
It was a whirlwind last week on Beck’s reversal of going from declared for the NFL Draft to heading to the transfer portal to quickly landing with the Hurricanes.
There’s a lot to unpack. Let’s dive in.
Carson Beck’s draft stock took a hit
Beck was ranked as the No. 5 quarterback prospect by all four of ESPN’s draft analysts, but Dane Brugler of the Athletic only had Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders projected as first-round quarterbacks.
Brugler posted on X about Beck going in the portal: “Makes more sense than being a 4th round pick in April.”
Beck underwent elbow surgery on Dec. 23 to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, which would have limited him in the pre-draft process.
Beck entered last season in the conversation as the top quarterback, and even NFL No. 1 overall pick, but now he ranks 32nd nationally in pass efficiency. He’s 13th this season in passing yards per game at 268.1 and threw 28 touchdowns, but his 12 interceptions tied for third most nationally.
Those came in bunches during a six-game stretch. He did not throw an interception in his last four games of a season that saw the Bulldogs struggle with drops and offensive line play.
NIL riches will continue at Miami
The figure I got when I reached out to a source who works directly in the NIL space before Beck to Miami was public was that a Power 4 quarterback with Beck’s experience could make around $4 million.
For perspective, Will Levis in 2023 got a $3.94 million signing bonus as a second-round pick of the Titans and got an average annual salary of $2.39 million in a four-year contract, according to Sportac.
The $4 million figure was the same that was reported later by others, including CBSSports.com.
Beck’s marketing agency, ESM, told Front Office Sports that Beck secured nearly $10 million in combined NIL deals in the past 12 months.
Beck posted on social media last offseason about driving a Lamborghini Urus Performante — which can cost more than $300,000 — and flying a private jet.
When Beck went through his mid-season struggles, it made him even more of a target in some circles for flaunting his NIL gains.
Dan Everett of ESM told the Athens Banner-Herald then that the Lamborghini “was not associated with any NIL deal,” and all of his NIL arrangements were shot in the summer and his focus was on the team and included teammate inclusion.
“Carson Beck has handled NIL as responsibly as any player in the country,” he said then.
Move may be best for both sides
It’s not clear if Georgia wanted to keep Beck at the price it would take, or if both sides were ready to move on.
Georgia had reason to think that Beck was headed to the NFL after announcing his decision to declare for the next level on Dec. 28.
Coach Kirby Smart said that Beck attended a team meeting the day after the SEC Championship game after getting an MRI on his elbow. He was away from the team for much of the playoff prep, while exploring his next steps.
Beck joined the team in time for the Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame, wearing an old school University of Georgia ball cap.
If Beck returned to Georgia, keeping Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi around another year may have been dicey in a quarterback room that just lost Jaden Rashada.
Why else Miami appealed to Beck
Miami offers Beck a starting role with a program that should be a playoff contender again having already went through this with Cam Ward.
The Heisman Trophy finalist also declared for the NFL Draft out of Washington State last year, but instead returned to the college game and thrived.
Beck also joins girlfriend Hanna Cavinder at Miami. The Hurricanes’ basketball player is a social media infleuncer.
Beck and Cavinder flashed the U on TikTok together after his commitment.
“This isn’t a long distance thing anymore, God bless,” she told her nearly one million Instagram followers.
Carson Beck’s Georgia legacy
Beck’s departure has prompted this question among some Georgia fans.
Is he a DGD —a “Damn Good Dawg?”
Former Georgia offensive lineman Matt Stinchcomb posted on X after the news broke that Beck was going in the transfer portal: “All kinds of fan bases and coaches out here getting hustled.”
Beck was a backup for three seasons and left Georgia with a 24-3 record as starter. He suffered the elbow injury on the last play of the first half of the SEC championship game, but returned in overtime to hand the ball off on the game-winning touchdown run.
“I think Carson should be remembered as a great player,” offensive lineman Tate Ratledge said prior to the Sugar Bowl. “He’s the one who got us to this point in our season. Him getting hurt I don’t think should have any affect on his legacy he’s left here. He’s brought us to two (SEC) championships. Some can say he won us one.”
Beck told InsideTheU, a 247Sports site on his new campus: “Being at Georgia for five years was unbelievable. I learned so much, I grew so much in every which way: as a football player, as a leader, as a man. Obviously you get to play in really big time games there and that really helped me grow on the football field and as a quarterback. I have the utmost respect for them and I always will cherish my time there.”
Beck will make his Miami debut at home against Notre Dame on Aug. 30 and face Florida again next season.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Unpacking Carson Beck’s transfer from Georgia football to Miami
