Why Carson Beck made the right decision to transfer out of Georgia
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Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck had a big decision to make after the 2024 college football season. He suffered a season-ending UCL injury in Georgia’s win vs. Texas in the SEC championship, and with Gunner Stockton performing well in Georgia’s Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame, Beck had the choice to either declare for the 2025 NFL draft, compete with Stockton for the 2025 starting job, or enter the transfer portal.
Originally, he declared for the draft in Dec. 2024, a decision that was not received well by some draft analysts. However, a few days later, in Jan. 2025, Beck changed his mind, entering the transfer portal. He transferred to the Miami Hurricanes, and while some of it had to do with existing relationships there, the Hurricanes served as a much-needed change of scenery.
Fast forward a year, and Beck’s Hurricanes have reached the College Football Playoff semifinal. They were so good they didn’t even need to reach the ACC championship to earn a spot in the CFP, and as the No. 10 seed, they’ve had upset wins against the Texas A&M Aggies and defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s clear at this point that Carson Beck made the right decision to transfer.
Why Carson Beck made the right decision to leave Georgia
Better offensive supporting cast
Georgia has a great offensive supporting cast around Gunner Stockton in 2025, but the group was not as good in 2024. The Bulldogs’ offensive line was battered with injuries, with guard Tate Ratledge suffering an ankle injury and Jared Wilson missing a couple of games as well. As a result, the running game generated the second lowest amount of rushing yards in the SEC.
Beck’s wide receivers were faulty too. Sure-handed receiver Colbie Young was suspended for the majority of the season due to an off-the-field issue, while starting receivers Arian Smith (10), Dillon Bell (6), and Dominic Lovett (4) among the leaders in dropped passes. That contributed slightly to Beck leading the SEC in interceptions in 2024 (12).
With Miami, his offensive line and skill positions are much better. Offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa made the All-ACC first team, guard Anez Cooper made second team, and two Miami offensive lineman (center James Brockermeyer, tackle Markel Bell) made third team.
The skill positions rapidly improved as well. Freshman Malachi Toney became a national sensation, racking up 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns on 94 receptions. LSU transfer CJ Daniels is also a stud, catching seven touchdowns on the year. Running back Mark Fletcher had 917 yards, and Miami is relying primarily on him in the CFP, as he’s had 262 rushing yards, along with 25 receiving yards and a touchdown, in Miami’s two games in the CFP.
Miami’s defense has also transitioned from one of the worst to one of the best in college football. Against Texas A&M, Beck and the offense set the record for the lowest points scored in a playoff win, but it didn’t matter because the defense allowed just three points against the Aggies
As a result, Beck hasn’t had to carry the offense. All he’s needed to do is make a play here and there and let the running game carry Miami. Beck has thrown for 3,313 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, and while he’s had less yards (3,485), and touchdowns (28) than last year, he’s thrown less interceptions (12) and has a higher passer rating (161.7) than last year (145.3).
He’s had a few games where his interceptions troubles have come back (see Louisville and SMU) but at his best, he’s a steady presence in Miami’s offense that doesn’t try to do to much and drives the offense to victory.
Lucrative NIL deal
Beck’s NIL contract makes it an even better decision to forgo the draft. Beck’s decision speaks to a bigger trend in college football: less and less underclassmen are declaring for the draft, and more are staying to collect more NIL money in college.
Beck’s contract is an outlier among NIL deals. According to On3’s financial tracker, Beck’s NIL valuation is at $3.1 million. That’s about as much as a late first round pick, according to Spotrac. Beck’s draft stock fluctuated wildly, with some saying he could go as low as the third round. Safe to say, it wasn’t a guarantee that Beck would make as much money in the NFL as he did staying a year in college.
More margin for error in playoff race
The Miami Hurricanes also have a larger margin of error when it comes to the CFP vs. the Georgia Bulldogs. The ACC is not as competitive for the CFP as the SEC is.
The Georgia Bulldogs finished the regular season 11-1, including 7-1 in the conference. Going 7-1 in the conference would’ve been enough to win the ACC, but somehow, Georgia needed help to make the championship. Texas A&M and Ole Miss went 11-1, including 7-1 in the conference, and yet neither one of them made the championship.
Meanwhile, the ACC championship had two teams with two losses against ACC opponents, although Virginia’s loss to NC State didn’t count as a conference loss. Still, Virginia was 10-2, and they played 7-5 Duke, who made the ACC championship over 10-2 Miami, 9-3 Georgia Tech, 9-3 SMU, and 8-4 Pitt because they finished 6-2 in the conference and won tiebreakers.
Duke ended up winning the ACC championship, and the committee decided that 8-5 Duke didn’t deserve a spot in the College Football Playoff. Instead, they gave it to two group of five champions, Tulane (AAC), and James Madison (Sun Belt). However, Miami still gained an at-large bid to make the playoff due to beating Notre Dame earlier in the year. Despite losing to SMU and Louisville and finishing with the same general record and conference record as last year, Miami made the playoff.
If Carson Beck were to finish 10-2 with Georgia this year like he did in 2024, along with a 6-2 conference record, Georgia could’ve been on the outside looking in. Oklahoma and Vanderbilt had the same record, and while Oklahoma made the playoffs, they had to beat Alabama in the regular season to do it, while Vanderbilt missed the playoffs entirely.
Safe to say, a decision that was a no-brainer for Carson Beck to make has looked even better now. Miami faces Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8, 2026, and the winner of the game goes to the national championship. Meanwhile, Georgia just lost to the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl. Carson Beck has the chance to have the last laugh and win a title.
This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Why Carson Beck to transfer from Georgia football
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