Paul Finebaum 'intrigued' by Miami, Mario Cristobal after Carson Beck transfer

When Carson Beck entered the Transfer Portal, he immediately became one of the biggest names available. It was a quick process for the former Georgia quarterback, though, landing with the Miami Hurricanes.

For ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, the move is an intriguing one. As he explained on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, it’s a move that puts Miami and Mario Cristobal closer to breaking through.

“I’m probably equally intrigued by Miami now that Carson Beck has landed there,” Paul Finebaum said. “I think that is a program that has come back a long way but because of the way it ended it doesn’t feel like they are quite in the picture, although I feel like Mario Cristobal for all the criticism he gets from some of the pundits, including me, he is close to breaking through.”

Miami has been one of the most successful programs in the country historically, winning five national championships. However, in the last two decades, the Hurricanes only have two seasons with double-digit wins. That includes the 2024 campaign.

Mario Cristobal was hired in 2022 to build it back into the ranks of the elite programs in the sport. However, it has taken some time to do so, going just 12-13 in his first two seasons at the program before making the jump to 10-3 in 2024. Now, the hope is Carson Beck can at least maintain that, if not build on it.

Miami clearly has a lot of confidence in Beck too. It was reported by Pete Thamel that an NIL deal for Beck’s services would likely be in the range of $2 million. That’s despite coming off UCL surgery on his throwing arm.

While at Georgia, Carson Beck spent two seasons as the starting quarterback. During that time, Beck played in a total of 27 games, though he appeared in 39 total games at Georgia, including the seasons he wasn’t a starter. In 2024, he completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns. His time on the field at Georgia ended at halftime of the SEC Championship Game when he was injured attempting a Hail Mary.

Now, Carson Beck will try to replace Cam Ward at Miami. That won’t be easy to do, though. In one season with the Hurricanes, Ward was able to finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, led the Hurricanes to 10 wins during the regular season, and got Miami to the edge of the College Football Playoff.

The College Football Playoff, which Beck was unable to play in this season due to his injury, is exactly where he’ll now look to lead the Hurricanes in 2025.