For the first time this year, the Miami Hurricanes experienced what Georgia Bulldogs fans knew about Carson Beck. The talented quarterback from Jacksonville can make all the throws and seems to have great command behind the line of scrimmage. However, his turnovers come in bunches. Georgia fans remember him throwing three picks vs. Texas in a win. He threw four vs. Louisville in a loss for Miami...
It was a game where Louisville was just begging for Miami to take it from them. Frankly, the Hurricanes almost did... Down 24-21 in the final minutes, Miami was driving and already in field-goal range before Beck threw his fourth pick of the night. He may have blamed it on his receiver, but the Cardinals' secondary ate him alive all evening. This puts the Hurricanes' playoff chances under great scrutiny.
On the other side of the coin, Georgia's first-year starting quarterback Gunner Stockton has only thrown one interception in six starts this season. That came two games ago at home vs. the Kentucky Wildcats. His pick was not costly, as Georgia was able to win that SEC home game by 21 points. This may have been Beck's first home loss of his career, but it will go down as a defining one for him, sadly.
Clearly, Kirby Smart knew what he had in Stockton backing up Beck the two previous years at UGA.
Georgia has made the right decision in letting Carson Beck transfer out
Look. There is a lot that went into Beck not finishing his college football career at Georgia. He bided his time backing up mostly Stetson Bennett IV for three years before getting his first taste of being a starter at Georgia in 2023. When he was at his best, Beck looked like a certain first-round draft pick. When he was not, he looked a lot what we saw on Friday evening vs. Jeff Brohm's Louisville program.
His nasty elbow injury in the SEC Championship Game vs. Texas not only ended his Georgia carer, but prevented Beck from seriously entering the 2025 NFL Draft. He did not have a great grade coming out, so he transferred to Miami to see if he could become the next Cam Ward in Shannon Dawson's Hurricanes offense. Again, he has all the tools, but he lives to throw interceptions at the worst time.
As for Stockton, he seems to be mature beyond his years. His ability to tuck it and run gives the Georgia offense a wrinkle it did not necessarily have with the more pro-style Beck. Truth be told, Stockton seems to throw a more catchable football than Beck ever did. They are two totally different players, both of whom you can win a lot of games with. However, Smart feels validated in his decision.
Georgia lived and died by the Beck experience a year ago, and now Miami understands what it is like.