Kirk Herbstreit explains why Carson Beck has the 'biggest shoes to fill' in college football in 2023

After leading Georgia to two straight national championships and ending the program’s title drought, Stetson Bennett is off to the NFL. That means the Bulldogs will have a new face under center as they look to three-peat, which hasn’t been done since the 1930s.

Carson Beck is preparing to try and fill those shoes — which Kirk Herbstreit declared the “biggest” in college football this year.

Herbstreit gave Beck the “Herbie Award” for “Biggest Shoes to Fill” Thursday night given Bennett’s accomplishments in Athens. He beat out Brock Vandagriff for Georgia’s starting quarterback job and will look to pick up where Bennett left off. He’ll look to do so with new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo at the controls.

“No pressure, Carson Beck has been announced [as the starter],” Herbstreit said. “He gets to fill the shoes of Stetson Bennett, who only won back-to-back national championships in Athens. And now, Carson Beck gets to fill the shoes of what Bennett was able to do. So we’re anxious to see.

“Physical skills are there, but can he live up to the hype? We’ll have to wait and see.”

Kirk Herbstreit: Carson Beck has to ‘block out the noise’ amid high expectations this season

Bennett’s career was a well-documented journey, capped off by an appearance in New York at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. His stats were one thing, but Herbstreit pointed to his ability to improvise when plays broke down. That’s what made Bennett such a special quarterback, not to mention a tough one to tackle.

It seems like Beck is ready for the chance to prove himself, and Herbstreit said the key to success will be to focus on the task at hand and not worry about being in Bennett’s shadow.

“Carson Beck, I think, has a lot of pressure on him and I think he welcomes that opportunity,” Herbstreit said. “And not just really the intangibles that Stetson Bennett created, that playing with that chip on his shoulder. How many times did you see him if things would break down, create a play? Remember early in that Tennessee game last year when he held up the phone after he scrambled for the touchdown to get to the corner. He provided so many big plays, not to mention his ability to throw. So the Georgia fans have high expectations, trying to do something — three in a row, gotta go all the way back to the [1930s] with Minnesota.

“[Beck] needs to block out all the noise. Just go out and execute, get first downs, not worry about trying to be Stetson Bennett. Just be the best version of himself, and I’m sure that’s what Kirby’s talking to him about.”