Carson Beck has seen everything. The guy’s life is one Hollywood movie filled with drama, thrill, ups, and downs. The plot? Performed massively in the 2023 season as people touted him as the ‘next best’ thing for Georgia. In the second season as a starter, the same people turned against him as he failed to produce those heroics, and injury concerns plagued him. Then he switched camps for Miami. A move that was alleged to be motivated by his girlfriend and ‘money’ ($4 million to be precise). Then he got his supercars stolen in Miami and is now rumored to have suffered a breakup with the same girl for whom he allegedly switched camps.

If anyone asks you to put the timeline in a specific genre, what would it be? Thriller? Drama? Comedy? Satire? or Tragedy? The player’s life is so fiercely subjected to public scrutiny and criticism that Aaron Murray, an ESPN analyst, called him. “He (Carson Beck) is essentially a grown man in that locker room acting like a little kid.” This was undoubtedly a low point in his life as his alleged Snapchat leaks opened a whole new Pandora’s box of controversy. Even now, he doesn’t seem to catch a break as all kinds of rumors plague him.

Let’s just keep the controversies and off-field drama aside for a moment and see purely from a sporting standpoint. He is still a player who is not ‘finished’ in any regard. The kind of season he had with Georgia wasn’t that bad at all, as he produced 3,485 passing yards at a 64.7% completion rate. That is surely quite a downgrade from his previous season, but was Mike Bobo doing enough for him? Georgia led the country in drops (37); the offensive line failed to protect him, and most of all, Brock Bowers departed to the NFL, which left a hole in the team that wasn’t even pondered to be filled. However, in Miami, the story could be a whole lot different.

Jon of Locked on Canes podcast provided the reasons. As to how Carson Beck could roll back his 2023 season at Miami under Mario Cristobal. “Elijah Lofton, I think, could be this year’s Brock Bowers for Carson Beck. Not saying he’s going to put up the same numbers or he’s going to be the same exact type of player. Brock Bowers being that number one favorite target for Carson Beck, being that security blanket really helped him. He didn’t really have that last year in Georgia. I see Elijah Loftton really being that security blanket for him, and I think fans are going to love Lofton. They just got a glimpse of him last year of what he can do. He is a Swiss Army knife, he can do it all, and he’s a playmaker.”

Well, Elijah Lofton may not be able to match Brock Bowers’ heroics, where he is considered one the greatest tight ends in Georgia’s history. However, if he can even provide half of that playmaking and athletic prowess, the season will be filled with redemption for Carson Beck. Standing at 6 foot 3 and weighing around 230 lbs, he is a player who can be a true dual-threat tight end for the Canes.

He possesses multi-level skill sets and is an imposing catcher with long hands to match just that. His speed is unmatched for tight ends. He ran the 100-meter dash in just 11.70 seconds in his freshman season at high school. Last season, the player featured in 7 games and accumulated 150 yards on just 9 receptions at an impressive average of 16.7. His rushing touchdown and prowess against Duke also point to the fact that he can run, too, and we could see the best of him in the upcoming season.

Playoff concerns for Mario Cristobal?

Now comes the playoff challenge for Miami in the upcoming season. Mario Cristobal would have never expected that his team wouldn’t make the playoffs after losing just 2 games in the season. And that, too, in a 12-team playoff. You just have to be extremely unlucky to suffer from such a fate. I mean, this was a season where redemption was promised with ace QB Cam Ward behind center. But it wasn’t the case, as Miami couldn’t salvage anything from the season, not even a bowl win. Can Mario Cristobal do it in 2025?

Brian Smith on ‘Locked on Seminoles’ provided his reasoning for why Miami’s playoff woes could continue in 2025 too. “Is he (Carson Beck) going to be ready? Mentally and physically to take on the first game? …I think they should make the playoffs. If Miami doesn’t make the playoffs this upcoming season, something’s wrong”. While this statement looks quite positive for Miami till now, wait till you hear what Smith said next. “I don’t think they’ll make the Final Four,” he said flatly. “Because, again, I don’t trust Carson Beck.”

Making the playoffs but not the final four with a $4 million quarterback. That will surely be a tough pill to swallow. Carson Beck needs to rise above his personal problems and injury concerns and show why he is still the guy who performed in the 2023 season. If he can do that, he can not only silence the critics but also cement his place as the first-round pick in the draft.