Carson Beck’s offseason, since moving from Georgia to Miami, has been straight out of a Netflix drama. First, there was the highly publicized but still unofficial split with Hurricanes women’s basketball star GF Hanna Cavinder. Then, in a bizarre twist, Beck and Cavinder—whether together or not—had three of their cars stolen overnight. All while he remains rehabbing a UCL injury from the SEC Championship game. If you were crafting a storyline for a quarterback under the spotlight, this would be it. But the real question is whether all of this—Miami’s bright lights, the off-field drama, and the lingering injury—will keep him from playing like the Heisman contender he was expected to be.

That’s exactly what Joe DeLeone and Blake Ruffino were wondering on their show The Ruffino & Joe Show when they compared Beck’s situation to that of a certain $39.5 million QB. Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams. DeLeone said, “I hope that he’s not getting distracted,” And there it was—the same conversation that’s followed ex-USC Trojans Caleb Williams, Shedeur Sanders, and just about every high-profile quarterback who’s had a rough stretch. When you’re the face of a program, everything you do off the field becomes a storyline, and the moment things go wrong, those distractions become the easy excuse.

It doesn’t help that Carson Beck doubled his interception (12) total last year with Georgia Bulldogs, especially in big games. “In every big game against a ranked opponent, he had three interceptions,” Ruffino pointed out. “It’s not—it is a fact. He did not get better.” The numbers tell part of the story, but then there’s the mindset issue. Beck himself admitted last year that he doesn’t like watching football outside of film study. “He goes to the podium, Joe, and says, ‘I don’t like watching football,’” Ruffino continued. “So when did he say that?” DeLeone asked. “Remember at the end of the year? He’s like, ‘No, I go home, I’m not watching football. I’ll watch the film. I don’t want to have preconceived notions.’” That’s not exactly the quote you want from your Heisman hopeful.

The greats aren’t just students of the game—they’re obsessed with it. And when a quarterback’s decision-making starts to falter, it’s easy to connect the dots and wonder whether the lack of film grinding is a factor. That’s why there’s a real debate about which version of Carson Beck is going to show up at Miami Hurricanes: the one who looked like a future first-rounder at times last season or the one who threw costly picks in Georgia’s biggest games.

A lot of that debate, though, isn’t just about Beck—it’s about what was around him at Georgia. That’s where Mike Bobo comes into the conversation, and he’s not coming out of it unscathed. Out of nowhere Georgia’s OC caught some strays too. “I really thought that Mike Bobo was a driving force in some of his worst games, and I stand by it,” DeLeone said. “The play calling was s–t.” And that’s not just media chatter—it’s something Georgia fans spent the entire season arguing about. The Bulldogs struggled to establish the run at times, which put even more pressure on Beck to carry the offense. “We were giving him a pass, but we were providing context for why some of the games he didn’t play as well,” he continued. “I think that Carson Beck was sold out in a lot of games because Bobo was not doing an effective job of establishing the run, and then he felt pressed, and he was making dumb mistakes.”

Now, Beck is in a completely different situation at Coral Cables. Mario Cristobal and QBs coach Shannon Dawson are the men responsible for making sure their $4 million QB1 doesn’t fall into those same bad habits. “I think that Carson Beck having a better receiver room that doesn’t have one of the most egregious drop totals in the country, and also being in this position to be coached by Shannon Dawson to set him up to make less stupid mistakes—I think it’s going to help him take a step forward,” DeLeone said. That’s the bet Miami is making: that a change of scenery, a more dynamic offensive system, and a fresh start will turn Beck into the elite his talent suggests he can be.

That’s why one NFL general manager is already raising concerns. Beck’s transition from Georgia to Miami isn’t just about getting a fresh start—it’s about proving he can handle the expectations. “What Carson Beck’s going to show up is the big question,” Ruffino said. It could be a very apt question right now.

Carson Beck’s transfer to Miami? “A big red flag,” says NFL GM

Carson Beck’s move from Georgia to Miami sent shockwaves through the CFB world, but not everyone is applauding the decision—especially NFL scouts and executives. One unnamed NFL general manager didn’t mince words when speaking to Georgia Bulldogs On SI.

“Beck, either by Kirby letting him go, or choosing to go, either way is a big red flag,” the GM said. “It certainly hurts him with us. He didn’t leave in order to win, play against better competition, or get better coaching. A bad look for him. That makes no sense and makes you wonder a lot about a lot.”

That’s a pretty brutal assessment, considering Beck was still running Georgia’s offense in the SEC Championship Game despite injuring his elbow in the first half. His final moment in a Bulldog uniform? Handing the ball off to Trevor Etienne for the game-winning touchdown.

Now, as Beck adjusts to life in Miami, the noise surrounding him hasn’t faded. With his high-profile relationship with a Cavinder Twin and other off-field drama, he’s already facing a rocky start to spring 2025.