Carson Beck details long rehab, return to field after elbow injury at Georgia
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Carson Beck’s last moments as a quarterback at Georgia were a nightmare.
During the SEC Championship Game last December against Texas, Beck went down with a right elbow injury, and he was never able to come back. Gunner Stockton relieved him, helped the Bulldogs outlast the Longhorns in overtime and then was the starting quarterback for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame.
A few weeks after suffering the injury, Beck underwent surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. And a few weeks after that, Beck was no longer a Georgia Bulldog, transferring to Miami. Now, a little over 8 months later, Beck is thriving in his first season with the Hurricanes, leading them to a 3-0 start and a No. 4 ranking in the AP Poll.
Beck has already thrown for 812 yards in those 3 wins, including a season-opening victory over the same Notre Dame program he couldn’t face in last season’s Playoff. He has 7 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions, and now the senior from Jacksonville will get another crack at a familiar foe on Saturday night with Florida heading south to face Miami in a primetime showdown on ABC. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the ESPN College GameDay crew was in South Florida on Saturday morning in the leadup to the showdown between Sunshine State rivals.
During an interview with Desmond Howard aired during the show, Beck talked about his relief to just be back on the field after such a long 8 months of rehab.
“It’s very overwhelming for me. Looking back on the 8 months I’d been through, I didn’t know if I was ever going to throw a football the way I did ever again,” Beck told Howard.
Howard asked Beck what he was feeling and thinking as he laid on the turf in Atlanta after suffering the injury.
“I knew I was done,” Beck said. “That’s why I didn’t get up immediately. I couldn’t even grip a football. I didn’t know the severity (of the injury) yet, but finding that out was really, really tough for me.”
Beck chose to not end his collegiate career at Georgia, opting to head to Miami instead. He talked about his time in Athens, too.
“I had been at Georgia for 5 years. I was super appreciative of my time there. But I feel there’s a shelf life on things, and I just think it was time for a fresh start for me,” Beck said.
Here is Beck’s full interview with Howard:
On Saturday night, a healthy Beck will step back into the spotlight against an old SEC foe, trying to will his new team to even greater heights early in the 2025 season.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
