Report: Georgia Wanted Carson Beck to Return in 2025; Alabama Eyed QB as Transfer
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVJanuary 15, 2025
Carson Beck resisted overtures from Georgia about returning for the 2025 season before he transferred to Miami, according to USA Today's Matt Hayes.
Hayes reported Alabama also reached out to Beck after he entered the transfer portal. The fifth-year senior decided to head south for the Hurricanes and secured an NIL package reportedly worth between $3 million and $4 million.
While that's a sizable sum of money, Hayes laid out the football-related reasons Beck came to the conclusion there were greener pastures outside of Athens, Georgia.
The Bulldogs' offensive line and receiving corps were both lacking in 2024. Hayes added that head coach Kirby Smart "historically hasn't recruited well at wide receiver," so there were no guarantees he could rapidly improve the unit through the portal.
Miami, on the other hand, built a system around Cam Ward this past year that allowed him to be the fourth-place finisher in the Heisman Trophy voting. Ward was second in the FBS in passing yards (4,313) and first in touchdowns (39).
Perhaps most importantly, the Davey O'Brien Award steadily climbed NFL draft boards as the year went on. Ward is the No. 6-ranked player on Bleacher Report's 2025 big board and went second overall to the Cleveland Browns in B/R's mock draft.
Contrast that with the trajectory of Beck's draft stock. He was the 13th-best player on B/R's initial big board in October and slipped to 37th in the most recent update. Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.com reported he "wasn't a lock to go in the first three rounds" even before he suffered a UCL injury in the SEC title game.
Especially at a time when he can be compensated handsomely through NIL deals, returning to college for one more season made plenty of sense for Beck, and he was equally sensible in asking whether Georgia was the optimal place for him.
That the Bulldogs couldn't make the strongest pitch before their own starting quarterback is the kind of thing that might keep Smart awake at night.
