Message Board Mania: “Clowning Miami” ... Hurricanes Fans React to Lane Kiffin’s Viral Carson Beck Diss

Jealous. Crazy. Factual. Incisive. Pick your adjective about Lane Kiffin’s recent comments on Carson Beck … and our guess is Miami Hurricanes fans are choosing one of the first two. For the uninitiated, the Ole Miss coach had some pointed words regarding the reported $4.3 million deal Beck got as a Miami transfer from Georgia.

“Miami gave him $4.3 million?” Kiffin asked on The Pivot Podcast. “Did they watch his game against us?”

First, the facts. Beck was not good against Mississippi in Georgia’s 28-10 loss on the road to Kiffin’s team last season. While it wasn’t all on Beck (he was sacked five times and pressured constantly), his final stat line was pretty woeful – 20-31 passing for 186 yards with no TDs and an interception.

Lane Kiffin on Carson Beck 💀💀

“Miami gave him $4.3 million?

Did they watch his game against us?” pic.twitter.com/9jstiCZ0R9

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 18, 2025

Of course, one game is not a season or a career, right? And Beck starred in 2023 with 3,941 passing yards and 24 TDs with six INTs, making him the odds-on Heisman favorite entering last season. Without a consistent OL or run game, though, and with two of his top threats (TE Brock Bowers, WR Ladd McConkey) gone to the NFL, Beck was up-and-down in 2024 with 3,485 passing yards, 28 TDs and an SEC-high 12 INTs. It’s also worth noting that his receivers dropped what was tabulated to be the most yards in the nation in catchable balls.

As we dive into this a bit more, it’s worth noting that some do point to Beck’s deal as a reason Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava essentially said “I’m not getting paid enough” and got “holdout” talk trying to work a new NIL deal before heading to the portal. Certainly coaches like Kiffin aren’t happy about players holding out, asking for more money, etc. Mario Cristobal, by the way, spoke out against what Iamaleava did even as some blame him for setting the market and leading to the Iamaleava situation.

“I think you stay real, and you stay true to the program and make the decisions that are best for the program,” Cristobal said. “Where are you going to draw the line in your program? You’ve got to realize something: Once you allow that to happen (players holding out for more money), and you agree to it, well, prepare for a line of 80 guys doing the same thing.

“We’re not going to do that at Miami, and I say that without any hesitation. If anyone’s thinking that and they could be the best player in the world, if they want to play holdout, they might as well play get out. We don’t want to do that, and we don’t want Miami to become that.”

Ultimately the big question, at least as it pertains to UM, is if Kiffin is right or wrong.

For that let’s first turn to the reaction of Miami fans to the drama stirred up by his comments. Numerous fans weighed in on a CaneSport message board thread titled “So we’re the laughingstock or the butt of a lot jokes now. IG has a clip of Lane and the crew from The Pivot.”

Thread starter Butterp butters us up with his take: “Clowning Miami for giving Beck 4.3 Mil. HOW DID WE BECOME THE POSTER CHILD? We haven’t said anything about anyone. CARSON YOURE UP MY MAN. No VASELINE THESE (expletive) and dont call afterwards.”

Don’t worry Cane fans, we are sure Butterp has no anger issues.

Matahungwa adds “This was the same narrative last season with Cam. We saw how that worked out. Lane needs to worry about winning something. Mario has two PAC 12 championships. Beck has an SEC championship.”

On the other side of the spectrum some fans point to this as potentially wasted money. TPatterson21, who loves going to thrift shops and finding money in other people’s coaches (we are guessing) says it was too much to spend on one guy and that “we have a HC that has now had a top 5 and #1 draft pick at the most important position in the game and won Jack **** with either.”

There also were plenty of shots that went Kiffin’s way.

One of many examples, via Philcane: “Hasn’t Mario won more than Lane. I really don’t pay attention to him much but what has he ever won as a HC.”

This reporter’s take?

The market is the market. Miami’s done nothing wrong and had to land a top quarterback. Period.

But the truth is Kiffin’s one-liner will be viewed as true or false in hindsight. Because if Beck and/or Miami falls flat this season, it’s $4 million that could have gone to other parts of the team or be held for the future. And if Beck leads Miami to the playoffs and perhaps more, then Cristobal and Beck will have the last laugh.

We will give the last word here to Chasmish.

“If Beck has a great and healthy year, the 4.3 will be an after thought,” Mr. Mish writes. “However if he doesn’t, it’s going to get ugly early. Which would just suck and be a continuation of 20 years of the same old, same old.”