Carson Beck reflects on time as Alabama commit ahead of SEC Championship game

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck had a strong regular season in his first year as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback. But now the postseason lies ahead, starting with an SEC Champion matchup against Alabama on Saturday.

But what some may not know is that Beck was actually committed to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide for seven months as a high school recruit before flipping to Georgia about a month later. And with that in mind, Beck was asked to reflect on his time as an Alabama commit and his memories of Saban during the SEC Championship Game Student-Athlete Teleconference on Monday.

“Yeah that was a long time ago but obviously a great coach, one of the greatest of all time,” Beck said. “Just stern with it, set the standard, it’s a very similar program to Georgia and the things that we believe in, the ideals, but obviously Coach Saban’s a great coach and I have tons of respect for him.”

Beck earned Florida Mr. Football honors in high school, rated a four-star recruit and ranked the No. 16 quarterback prospect in the nation for the 2020 class according to On3’s Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The highly touted prospect chose to commit to Alabama, but following some coaching turnover in Tuscaloosa he had a change of heart, which he revealed when speaking to media before the Elite 11 quarterback competition workout in 2019.

“Obviously, I liked Alabama. Nick Saban, great coach. I respect him, have full respect for him,” Beck said in 2019. “But whenever all the offensive staff started leaving and I was like, ‘I have no one to talk to. I don’t know any of these guys. I really don’t have a relationship with them. So, when I de-committed, I still considered Alabama, I wanted to meet the new coaches, and that’s when Georgia came in. And I just absolutely fell in love with their coaching staff, and honestly the reason I chose Georgia is I feel like those coaches can develop me to get me where I want to be.”

The quarterback position has been a staple of success for both programs in recent history, with Beck having to wait his turn in Athens for three seasons before getting his chance to start under center for Georgia. But wait has seemed worth it, as Beck has led the Bulldogs to an undefeated season behind his 3,495 passing yards (ranking second in the SEC) and 22 touchdown passes (ranking third in the SEC) this year.

Beck will square off with the program he’s more than familiar with this Saturday, with Georgia facing Alabama at 4:00 p.m. ET in the SEC Championship in a game airing on CBS.