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Carson Beck embracing being face of Georgia Football, on and off the field

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•03/12/24•

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Georgia QB Carson Beck
Joshua L. Jones | USA TODAY NETWORK

ATHENS, Ga. — Carson Beck became the poster boy for NIL this offseason when social media picked up on the fact that he got himself a new car. The Georgia quarterback was posted up proudly next to his new Lamborghini Urus Performante, a model that goes for about $270,000, in Atlanta Auto’s Instagram post in early February.

On Tuesday, Beck told reporters he believes it’s not as big of a deal as many are making it out to be. To him, it’s just a car and an exciting way to continue building his brand as one of the sport’s top players.

“I’ve always been a car guy. Since I was a kid, I grew up loving cars,” Beck said. “My dream car when I was super, super young was a Mustang. I’ve never had a Mustang, kind of grew out of that when I was 14 or 15, but have always been a huge car guy so growing into that and being able to associate myself with that brand, it’s such a large brand name, being able to get that car, it’s a blessing. It’s been awesome.”

“It’s not a big deal at all in my opinion. I like cars. I got a car. That’s really all it is,” he added. “Obviously a lot of people are going to look at it and say what a terrible decision, what a terrible choice with his money. But it’s just a car at the end of the day. It’s not too big of a deal. I just drive it around.”

Asked what it was that makes him a self-proclaimed ‘car guy,’ Beck said that there’s something about well built engines that has always excited him. He struggled to find a great way to explain it but said, ‘there’s something about pulling out of the driveway and hearing a well built engine, the exhaust … it puts a smile on my face.”

Beck, whose On3 NIL valuation comes in at an annual value of $1.4 million and seventh among College Football players, will have the keys to another well oiled machine this fall in his second season as Georgia’s starting quarterback. The Bulldogs ranked fifth in the nation both in scoring and total offense during Beck’s first year at the helm. Individually, he set a new school-record for completion percentage, finding his receivers at a 72.4% rate, while throwing for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns in 14 games. Headed into spring practice, Beck hopes he can build on what he did.

“I think the biggest thing for me is just continuously building my confidence level, and then, working through reads faster, knowing when I can take the big shot and when I need to check it down and play it safe. That’s the biggest thing for me in going back and watching film from this past year and watching all the games over, those are a few areas I can really improve on,” Beck said. “Last year, I was coming in and wasn’t sure if I was going to be the starter or not. I was competing with Brock (Vandagriff) and Gunner (Stockton) at the time. Now, coming back having been the starter, I can kind of hone in and focus more on what I need to improve on. Compared to trying to compete against other guys, I can really focus on competing against myself.”

Yes, there are pieces to be replaced around Beck, and that’ll define whether or not spring practice is a success in Beck’s opinion. NFL bound Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint were all top-five on the team in receiving last season, and guys like Dominic Lovett, Rara Thomas, Dillon Bell and several newcomers including a trio of transfer portal pickups at receiver – plus a tight end and running back – will have to emerge as the top options this year. However, there’s already been some meshing that’s happened and will continue to take place over the next few weeks.

“We’ve been able to work a little bit during the offseason, January and February. Obviously not any full practices, but I’m super excited to see these young guys and transfers and see what they’re able to do. We’re constantly working to start building that chemistry,” Beck said about connecting with the newcomers. “They’re all really good kids, they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t. Super excited to start to get to work with them. In the very little I’ve been able to work with them, I’m very excited about what they bring to the table. Very confident in what they’re able to do. Obviously as we go into spring ball, summer and then the season, we’ll be able to dissect that a little bit more. I’m excited that those guys are here.”

Beck also knows that he’s being looked towards as a leader more this year than he was last. He’s proven he’s capable of big things on the field, and that’s earned the trust of his teammates. Now, it’s all about improvement during a time of year focused solely on exactly that.

“I’m super comfortable leading and talking and kind of guiding guys in the right direction because I’ve done it,” Beck said. “I think that people respect me now that I have done it. I think that was kind of the thing that held me back from being a little more vocal last year or being a bigger leader last year. I hadn’t really done it yet, so now that I have a year under my belt and guys look at me and respect me, it’s a lot easier to maybe tell someone to do something and try to guide them the right way.”

“For me, it’s working on the things I need to improve on,” he added on goals for spring practice. “Overall as a team, I think just building that bond with the new guys that just came in and continuing the chemistry with guys that have already been here. That works for both offense and defense. We’re kind of building that mesh with how well we all play together. We haven’t practiced in two months, so it’ll be fun to get back out there. I’m excited for it.”

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