Georgia’s Carson Beck has seen a dramatic fall from grace. Once a top Heisman contender and projected first-round NFL pick, his 2024 season has been a major disappointment. As the draft approaches, scouts are left wondering: Will Beck even be a Day 2 pick? While Beck’s struggles have raised eyebrows, Kirk Herbstreit’s praise for Georgia’s quarterback during the Tennessee game sparked an online backlash.

The analyst on the broadcast had only good things to say about Beck despite his poor performance against the Vols. Herbstreit praised Beck’s ability to bounce back from a sluggish start, particularly when Tennessee took an early 10-0 lead. In directing a 75-yard touchdown drive that featured a crucial 19-yard touchdown pass to Oscar Delp and a noteworthy 14-yard scramble in which Beck displayed his leadership and physicality by rushing through a defender. Following the fans’ indignation over Kirk’s move, The Whole Delivery, a division of @Bleavnetwork, posted on X with the description, “Kirk Herbstreit trying his best to not criticize Carson Beck for any Carson Beck inaccurate throws, like this blown TD to Lovett. So ridiculous #NFLDraft.”

In fact, Carson Beck was criticized for a critical misthrow that hurt Georgia in their game against Vols on November 16. Beck had a great chance to make a play in the first half, but he instead made an interception. This error served as a metaphor for his persistent turnover problems this season.

Beck has topped the FBS in interceptions this season, and his performance against Tennessee maintained a concerning trend. He had 12 interceptions going into the game, which was a lot more than he had the season before. This specific throw against Tennessee exacerbated his problems and brought attention to his quarterbacking inconsistencies. Despite this, Kirk Herbstreit’s upbeat remarks regarding the quarterback prompted fans to accuse the expert of prejudice.

Supporters’ opinions for Kirk Herbstreit’s controversy

Danielson’s emphasis on Alabama’s advantages while downplaying those of other teams is perceived by many supporters as showing prejudice toward Alabama. Because of this, he is accused of being an Alabama “homer.” Fans witnessed the same thing Kirk Herbstreit did for Georgia this time, though. An X user mocked Kirk in a message that said, “Gary Danielson: No one can be more biased than me in my calling of SEC games, Kirk Herbstreit: Hold my hair gel.” Some were incensed by the analyst’s contentious viewpoint, as one wrote, “Good grief, @KirkHerbstreit is such a UGA homer tonight. He’s usually great but good grief.”

Kirk’s controversial opinion on Carson, Georgia’s quarterback, was really irritating to fans. With 15 of 28 throws completed at halftime, Beck had gained 184 yards and two touchdowns. These numbers, Herbstreit underlined, were essential to Georgia’s momentum as they rallied to draw the match at 17–17. No issue with that, but he didn’t highlight the interception of the QB. The Vols fan who saw this bias wrote, “No surprise to hear @KirkHerbstreit is a dawg humper.” Another X user wrote, “Hey @KirkHerbstreit this was great defense huh? Most people that don’t suck would call this blatant pass interference.” Well, some fans are even questioning if the analyst has an anti-Tennessee bias, given his consistent criticism of the Vols.

Kirk’s comments are truly unacceptable, given that he is a well-known commentator. To provide viewers with factual information during sports, commentators should maintain objectivity. But Herbstreit’s actions during the Dawgs vs. Vols game made supporters giggle. One CFB fan commented, “@KirkHerbstreit said it was a great play and was perfectly broke up 🤣🤣.” Well, we’ll have to wait and see what the analyst has to say. Until then, let’s ponder the motive behind this questionable praise.