Shannon Dawson on Carson Beck's mindset at Miami: 'Y'all got beat in the Pop-Tarts Bowl'

Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson didn’t hold back when describing quarterback Carson Beck‘s mindset after joining the Hurricanes’ roster earlier this offseason. Taking over for expected first-round draft choice Cam Ward, Beck isn’t feeling the pressure, his OC revealed.

“That s–t doesn’t bother him,” Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said, via CBS Sports. “Even though filling Cam’s shoes around here seems big, to him it’s like, ‘Dude, stop. I followed a guy that won two national championships and then we won the SEC. This ain’t nothing for me. Y’all got beat in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.'”

Beck transferred to Miami after suffering a season-ending UCL injury on the final play of the first half of Georgia’s win over Texas in the SEC Championship. He would not be able to participate in the College Football Playoffs, and opted to test his luck in the transfer portal after the Bulldogs’ season concluded.

He finished the 2024 campaign with 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns while throwing 12 interceptions. Now, Beck is diligently working on his recovery but is the presumed starting quarterback for the ‘Canes for the 2025 college football season.

Clearly, Beck has the experience. And Dawson said he likes that mindset from his new quarterback.

Off the field, however, Beck has become a known figure on social media, and most recently was in a relationship with Hanna Cavinder, who is a successful content creator with her twin sister along with being a basketball player at Miami. According to Dawson, this hasn’t slowed Beck down a bit since arriving on campus.

“My perception outside was probably the same as a lot of people,” Dawson said, via CBS. ” I’m not a big social media guy, but I was like, hey, let’s get to know who this kid really is, and the more I got to know him, the more I found out he don’t like that s–t, really, either.

“He hasn’t been on social media one time. He’s a very private person and you’ve got to get through some barriers to get to know the real him. There are no distractions now. In a lot of ways, he’s a lot more relaxed. I think that did kind of bother him at times. I felt like that he felt like he had to do [social media] because when you’re with somebody, it is what it is, but it really wasn’t who he was. Let’s focus on ball.”