Carson Beck receives high praise courtesy of SEC expert

Carson Beck will be among Georgia’s three representatives at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Tuesday, and if the preseason buzz about the Bulldog quarterback is accurate, he could be one of the four finalists in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December. SEC analyst Cole Cubelic certainly thinks so based on what he’s heard ahead of the 2024 season.

“Things have been shared with me like, ‘Carson Beck is seeing things in the Georgia defense that some of the coaches may not be seeing.’ He’s that far advanced right now with how he’s processing things, seeing things and taking this team through their day to day routines. That should make you feel good if you’re a Georgia Football fan right now,” Cubelic shared during his recent assessment of Georgia. “My understanding is that Carson Beck has gone out in conditioning drills and he’s winning most of those out in front, that he is competing not like he’s the starter but like he’s got to go win the starting job, he’s becoming more vocal and working his rear end off and just being more of a leader for that Georgia Football team.”

Beck, in his first season as a starter in 2023, helped lead Georgia to a 12-0 regular season, an SEC Championship Game appearance and incredible success on the offensive side of the ball. The Bulldogs fell in the conference title game against Alabama but bounced back with an impressive outing versus Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Behind Beck’s 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns, Georgia’s offense ranked top-5 nationally in both scoring (No. 5, 40.1 points per game) and total offense (No. 5, 496.5 yards per game). Beck completed a program-record 72.4% of his passes in total and led the Bulldogs to the nation’s best conversion rate on third down. Cubelic believes, especially with an extended season in the expanded Playoff era, that Beck can top those numbers this season.

 “Maybe the quietest 3,941 yards of any quarterback the last 8-10 years. 24 passing touchdowns, still a balanced offense, but I don’t think people realize how good the numbers were for Carson Beck. Keep in mind, only Penix and Nix had more yards passing than he did last year,” he said. “… We know the talent’s there. We’ve already seen it. We’ve seen him make the throws. One of the things that I think separates guys like he and Joe Burrow and a couple of other College Football great quarterbacks, not afraid to test the middle of the field. That’s one thing that sticks out to me maybe more than anything else with Carson Beck, he is not afraid to push the ball down the middle of the field. Certain quarterbacks if you watch them, everything is outside the hash, everything is outside the numbers, don’t want to try the middle of the field because they’re worried a ball’s going to get picked off or if they’re not 100% accurate, it’s not going to be one that ends well for their football team. Beck doesn’t have that issue.”

Comparing Beck to Burrow certainly puts a high bar out there for the Jacksonville, Fla. native to clear in 2024. Burrow guided LSU to a 15-0 mark and a National Championship with one of the best teams, especially offensively, in quite some time. He would go on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Beck has been mentioned as a potential top overall pick for 2025. The quarterback class isn’t as strong – at least in the preseason – but Beck has the ability to change that narrative this fall.

“Does a lot ride on Carson Beck? You’re damn right it does. If the kid’s that good, he’s going to be a top-5 pick and we’re going to be talking about him as a potential No. 1 overall pick,” Cubelic said. “You’ve got that guy, you build the offense around him, allow everybody else to be able to assist when they can and where they can and you take what the defense gives you. I think he’s good at that, and all the leadership traits that have improved this offseason, it’s something I love hearing about for Georgia and what they’re going to be able to be and how far they’re going to be able to go.”

Beck and the Bulldogs open the season on August 31st in Atlanta against Clemson. Tests on the road at Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas are on the slate alongside a couple of tough conference opponents Georgia is used to seeing: Auburn, Florida and Tennessee.