Inside Carson Beck’s move from Georgia to Miami: NIL, injury timeline and optimism on offense

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — New Miami quarterback Carson Beck arrived on campus Saturday afternoon with a smile on his face, a brace on his surgically repaired right elbow and an eager offensive coordinator waiting to shake his hand.

“Nice to finally meet you in person,” Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson told the 6-4, 220-pound gunslinger who led Georgia to the SEC championship and a 24-3 record over the past two seasons as the Bulldogs’ starter before entering the transfer portal.

“So, when are you going to start throwing?”

What’s up coach? New Canes QB Carson Beck meets OC Shannon Dawson for the first time in person. @TheAthleticCFB pic.twitter.com/wLlkVPP6gR

— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) January 11, 2025

Beck, who walked onto campus flanked by a person affiliated with Miami’s name, image and likeness collective, is reportedly set to make $4 million to start at quarterback for Miami this coming season. But The Athletic has heard through multiple sources briefed on his recruitment the number he’s set to receive from Miami channels is closer to a little over $3 million, roughly double the $1.6 million Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward earned through Miami’s collective (not including additional deals with Adidas, Bose and others) when he led the No. 1 scoring offense in college football this past season.

Beck, who won’t start throwing again for a few months due to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury he sustained in Georgia’s SEC title game win against Texas, was the only quarterback Miami’s coaching staff really wanted. Staffers told The Athletic he spent the day Saturday breaking down film with Miami’s coaches while freshmen and other transfers began moving in on campus.

Dawson was not excited about any other quarterback who had entered the portal or was expected to enter the portal this offseason. The Hurricanes liked Texas’ Quinn Ewers, but no one really knew what he was going to do once the Longhorns were eliminated from the College Football Playoff. NFL evaluators have projected Ewers anywhere from the third round to the sixth round. (Ewers told ESPN before Friday’s Cotton Bowl semifinal that he expected to leave for the NFL. Texas lost to Ohio State 28-14.)

Miami, meanwhile, spent time trying to gather as much information as it could about Beck once he declared for the NFL Draft in late December, on the chance he ended up in the transfer portal instead. Studying the film, Dawson felt Beck’s 2023 season was elite. This year, Beck didn’t play as well, but the Bulldogs weren’t as good around him, especially without Brock Bowers or Ladd McConkey catching passes. While Bowers and McConkey starred as rookies in the NFL, Georgia’s receivers led all Power 4 programs with 31 drops. The Bulldogs also dealt with injuries on their offensive line, allowing 1.79 sacks per game (58th among FBS programs).

Dawson also reached out to Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who had been Beck’s coach at Georgia from 2020 to ’22. Monken had nothing but praise for Beck, calling him an elite talent.

Beck doesn’t have the same demeanor as Ward — he’s quieter — but there aren’t many like Ward. The more Miami studied all its options, Dawson believed Beck was by far the best available. His quick release and accuracy stood out, as well as his ability to process. He’d played in a lot of big games and in tough situations. He also moves better than Ewers.

The other compelling factor: Beck, like Ward, is highly motivated to prove himself to NFL teams in his final college season. Miami believes it is putting Beck in a similar situation to flourish as it did with Ward, who also declared for the draft before deciding to return for another season of college football and transfer.

Adding another experienced receiver to the roster, though, is a priority. Miami has already picked up LSU transfer CJ Daniels, who has started 30 games in his career, and has blue-chip talents in Jojo Trader and Ny Carr entering their second seasons.

Landing Beck could help the Canes attract more talent. Miami coaches can’t count how many times receivers in the portal would ask them, Who’s gonna be your quarterback?

The rest of the offense isn’t in bad shape. Four starters are back on the offensive line, and Miami also picked up TCU starting center James Brockermeyer in the portal. Ex-Tulane tight end Alex Bauman, a big red zone target with seven touchdowns last season, will complement talented freshman Elija Lofton as middle-of-the-field targets. Miami’s backfield, which led the ACC with 5.7 yards per carry, brings back talented sophomore Mark Fletcher and speedy freshman Jordan Lyle.

Miami thought the only negative with Beck was his injury, which will sideline him for spring practice. Dawson talked to a handful of people who have dealt with the injury, including 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s private quarterback coach Will Hewlett. Purdy came back from a torn UCL and started throwing again some eight to 10 weeks after his surgery. All of the feedback Miami got said the same thing: Beck’s injury wasn’t that bad, and his recovery outlook is pretty clean. Beck, a Jacksonville, Fla., native, is expected to be around for spring ball to acclimate with his teammates and learn the offensive system.

Miami’s staff is still high on sophomore Emory Williams. In 2023, he beat Clemson in his first career start after an injury to Tyler Van Dyke and almost beat a Florida State team that went 13-1. But he didn’t look ready to take over for Ward when he replaced the Hurricanes’ NFL-bound QB in the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

After winning 10 games for only the second time since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami couldn’t go into Cristobal’s fourth season without a star at quarterback. But the Hurricanes didn’t want to take a guy just to take a guy.

In Williams, they believe they have a 6-5 prospect who is extremely accurate and made some big-boy throws to beat Clemson in 2023. The question, though, is whether he’ll stick around past the spring. Frank Ponce, the quarterbacks coach who recruited Williams to Miami, is now an assistant down the road at FIU. The Hurricanes have two other scholarship quarterbacks: 2025 blue-chipper Luke Nickel and 2024 three-star Judd Anderson, who both played their high school football in Georgia.

Miami’s personnel people charted dozens of potential QB transfer prospects. The verdict: It was not a good crop, not even as good as last year’s. Dawson probably ended up breaking down about 10 who merited deeper consideration.

South Dakota State’s Mark Gronowski, who had led the Jackrabbits to two FCS national titles, spoke with Miami. Dawson liked him and was going to fly up to Sioux Falls to see him, but the trip was canceled after he heard Gronowski might need surgery. Gronowski ended up signing with Iowa, and the Hawkeyes confirmed he would have surgery in the coming weeks and would not begin on-field workouts until June.

Miami native Fernando Mendoza was another possibility for the Hurricanes. The former Cal starter had committed to Indiana right before Christmas. But even two weeks later, some Miami folks believed Mendoza would come home if the Hurricanes offered him. The Canes staff liked him, but in their eyes, he didn’t have Beck’s talent.

When Beck’s camp let Miami know he was planning on entering the portal, the Canes figured they had a good shot. It helped that they had a track record with Ward, who had gone from a fifth-round draft projection to a potential top-10 pick, and also that Beck’s girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder, plays on Miami’s basketball team.

Saturday, Beck’s transfer journey from Athens to Miami reached its destination.

(Photos: Manny Navarro for The Athletic)