The hurricane stemming from southern Florida transpired into nothing more than a passing breeze in the grand scheme of the 2024 CFB season. Miami’s missteps down the stretch had major repercussions. Losing 2 of their last 3 games meant the powers that be kept them out of the playoffs. All season, the offense pulled more than its fair share of weight to even be a part of the playoff discourse. Eventually, the heroics and last-gasp comebacks caught up to the Canes. Heroics led by a superhero in Cam Ward. A stop-gap QB for Mario Cristobal, who transferred in from WSU with question marks and left after putting an exclamation mark over everything. Cam really had the Midas touch last season. Now that he’s bid adieu, the Canes are hoping lightning strikes twice with another one-year rental at quarterback—Carson Beck. Wondering what his receiving corp. thinks of Beck? Wonder no more.

Carson Beck’s stint with the Georgia Bulldogs included moments of greatness and moments of growth alike. He’s a national champion. But conceded, he wasn’t a contributor to those Natty runs. The two seasons he was QB1 in Athens coincided with 2 of Georgia’s least successful seasons in the Kirby Smart era. Albeit this wasn’t necessarily down to Beck. The nexus between a quarterback and a wide receiver is sacred. One needs the other to thrive. Their bond is perpetually reciprocal—the more one side sows, the more the other side reaps. Georgia’s lack of potency on the perimeter in 2024 was a huge reason why the perception around Beck and his reputation has taken a hit. Something even Miami WR Joshisa “Jojo” Trader acknowledges.

Relative to their own high standards, the supporting cast Georgia had around Carson Beck last season was subpar. In ‘23, before the likes of TE Brock Bowers and WR Ladd McConkey turned pro, the offense was doing much better. By extension, Carson Beck was gaining plaudits and filling the stat sheet. A downturn in his individual production can be attributed to his individual struggles, granted. But his weapons weren’t exactly lethal. Georgia had the most dropped catches across the entire FBS. Which goes to show Beck didn’t have all that bad a year after all. Alas, he’s got another chance to prove the naysayers wrong with Miami. Or does he? The Canes’ receiving corps isn’t in great shape heading into next season, either. But Trader isn’t fussed. He addressed a couple of nagging questions during his spring presser.

Miami has just lost essentially all its receiving yardage. WR1 Xavier Restrepo’s departure epitomizes how the offense is in a state of flux. Not just in the backfield with the QB switch, but also out wide. Trader was confronted with how Miami’s new-look WR room is shaping up. “Everybody’s here to come to work. Nobody has an ego, no nothing. I just feel like it’s going to be a great year from a receiving standpoint. Definitely,” he said. Trader was then asked how his synergy with Carson Beck is coming along. Keep in mind that Joshisa, now entering his sophomore year, is missing out on vital reps with his QB during spring camp. Since Beck’s rehabbing from a freak elbow injury he sustained during the SEC championship game. The pair haven’t had the chance to build chemistry and get on the same page.

Joshisa Trader said, “[Carson Beck is] a cool dude. He don’t talk a lot, but I get. I talk to him and stuff like that. He’s getting around the team very well. I be watching film with him, even though he’s not outside throwing. So he’s getting along well,” Jojo was then asked whether he’d watched a film on Beck. Which brought out a sly dig on the Georgia receivers. “Oh yeah, definitely! Of course. I watched Georgia games, so yes, I watched a film on him. I’ve seen a couple throws he’s thrown to receivers that dropped the pass. I could have caught [those]!” he remarked.

Mario Cristobal would sure love the confidence. Cristobal knows he’s potentially going to contend with some growing pains with his new QB. But especially with his new WR room as he prepares them for fall. He addressed the same during his own presser.

Mario Cristobal speaks on Carson Beck’s arsenal of weapons

Mario Cristobal isn’t in an envious position right now. The Achilles’ heel for his team last season was the defense. Largely the reason why the Canes were even left to lean so heavily on their offense. There’s no way to sugarcoat this—Miami’s defense was quite tragic. Something had got to give. Whether the issues stemmed from his ineptitude or from the personnel at his disposal, defensive coordinator Lance Guidry got the boot from Cristobal and the Canes brass. They hired Corey Hetherman as the replacement. By all accounts, Hetherman has the makings of a home-run hire. Like Mario Cristobal, he’s also a branch off the Greg Schiano coaching tree. As they sorted their defensive woes, Miami’s offense potentially spawned some of its own. Does Carson Beck have the requisite help?

Not only has Miami lost Xavier Restrepo, but they’ve also lost Jacolby George and Isaiah Horton. That’s a collective 2500 yards and 24 TDs. The onus of making this deficit up falls on the likes of Jojo Trader, alongside the likes of CJ Daniels. But how about 3 of their true freshman receivers? Namely, Malachi Toney, Joshua Moore, and Daylyn Upshaw. Surel,y it’s all hands on deck, right? When asked how the trifecta was coming along, Cristobal erred on the side of caution. “We got a lot of work to do. No one’s ready to crown any freshman as the guy yet. You see some great ability, and they are awesome young men. Those guys are going to be great players. Are we there yet? Absolutely not. We got a ways to go. We got to get tougher, more resilient, more consistent,” he remarked.

Whatever your opinion of Carson Beck, he’s probably better than 90% of QBs at the collegiate level. When he sensationally walked back on his NFL declaration to join Miami, one of the main reasons was fairly transparent. Beck was offered a lot in terms of NIL. The strange yet true bit is that Beck will make more money in college football next season than some first-round draft picks will make in the NFL. He’s due to make north of $4 million, conservatively. Well, he’s worth it to Miami as they look to fill that Cam Ward-shaped void.

The cliché gets thrown around too often. But this season really is make or break for Carson Beck. There are no do-overs. No collegiate eligibility to lean back on. He’ll play in a system that saw Cam Ward thrive last season, but not with the same cast around him. For now, Beck will just focus on completing this final leg of his injury rehab smoothly and get to work pronto. Doing what he does best—airing out that football. It remains to be seen if this fabled program can make the CFP this time of asking.