Ad Disclosure
Carson Beck to Miami? It makes sense. And not just because it worked out well for Cam Ward
Published:
Football is a copycat sport.
If somebody comes up with a play, a scheme or a philosophy that works, it’s all but a certainty that others will quickly follow suit and try something similar.
Players do it just as much as their coaches.
So it’s not surprising that Carson Beck announced Friday that he is transferring to Miami.
The former Georgia quarterback originally declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. But after rethinking the decision – either because of some negative feedback from scouts, the promise of a large NIL windfall or a combination – he changed his mind and set his sights on 1 more season of college ball. Just in a new location.
If that scenario sounds familiar, it should.
It’s incredibly similar to the one that led Cam Ward to the Hurricanes a year ago. And things worked out pretty well for him.
Ward put together the best season by a quarterback in program history, setting school records for passing yards (4,313), completions (305) and touchdowns (39) while earning a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
In the process, he went from an under-the-radar pro prospect in 2024 to the projected No. 1 overall pick this year.
That’s clearly an appealing career path for a quarterback with similar aspirations.
It also doesn’t hurt that Beck’s girlfriend, noted social media influencer Hanna Cavinder, plays basketball for the Hurricanes. Or that he’d fit right in cruising down Ocean Drive in South Beach in the Lamborghini he bought last February.
But those aren’t the only reasons Miami is such a good fit. Both for the 6th-year quarterback and the Hurricanes.
What elite passer wouldn’t want to be the triggerman for an offense that has thrown the ball an average of 35 times per game in the 2 seasons Shannon Dawson has been its coordinator? One that led the nation in total yards and scoring in 2024.
Although the Hurricanes will be losing top receivers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George, along with leading rusher Damien Martinez and others, there will still be plenty of playmakers left to surround whoever succeeds Ward under center.
In addition to whoever else coach Mario Cristobal brings in from the transfer portal.
Even more appealing is the return of starting tackles Francis Mauigoa and Markel Bell to provide a clean pocket from which to operate.
As Ward proved this season, you don’t have to play in the SEC or Big Ten to be noticed. Miami has the brand name to attract national attention. Especially with the big numbers a quarterback with Beck’s pedigree can put up against ACC defenses.
The former 4-star recruit who served an apprenticeship as a backup on 2 national championship teams at UGA. In his 2 seasons as a starter, he completed 68% percent of his passes for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns.
Although he had some issues with consistency and was intercepted 12 times in 2024, he still led the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship before being injured in their double-overtime win against Texas.
While Beck isn’t nearly as flashy as Ward and is more of a rhythm passer than a downfield bomber, he possesses one important trait that makes him as attractive to Cristobal and the Hurricanes as Miami is to him.
He’s a winner.
Beck’s record as a starter is 24-3. He has gotten his team into its conference championship game twice and the College Football Playoff once.
That’s the level of accomplishment the Hurricanes have been chasing, unsuccessfully, for the 2 decades they’ve been in the ACC. For all of Ward’s success and the individual heroics that helped pull out wins against Virginia Tech and Cal – games previous Miami teams found ways to lose – it still wasn’t enough to get his team into the ACC title game.
Let alone the Playoff.
Given Emory Williams’ underwhelming performance at the Pop-Tarts Bowl once Ward opted out of the second half against Iowa State, it’s clear that the Hurricanes need a veteran quarterback out of the portal to maintain their status as one of the ACC’s top teams.
It’s a lot to ask anyone to come in and reverse 20 years of bad karma. But if anyone is capable of overcoming history and Cristobal’s penchant for making mystifying decisions at the worst possible times, it’s someone like Beck.
Someone with the clutch gene and a knack for making the right plays at the right times.
None of this is to suggest that transferring to Miami will guarantee success. For him or the team. There are a lot of moving parts to the equation, not the least of which is Beck’s recovery from the elbow surgery he underwent on the day before Christmas.
He’s expected to make a full recovery and be ready to start throwing again this spring.
It’s also uncertain how much he’ll be able to participate in spring practice to begin learning the offense and building chemistry with his new receivers. But assuming everything goes well physically, you have to like his chances.
Just as it did for Cam Ward.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
