Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck is about to get his first real shot in the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur announced Wednesday that Beck will start Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, with the rookie stepping in after Gardner Minshew was placed on injured reserve with a season-ending right arm torn UCL. The move comes after the Cardinals traded regular-starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, leaving Beck next in line.
For Beck, the moment has been a long time coming.
"Obviously, this is a dream of mine," he said. "To be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
When I got the ball, I was super excited. I was ready to play right then and there."
The 24-year-old was selected in the third round, No. 65 overall, in this year’s NFL Draft after a winding college career that took him from Georgia to Miami. Beck spent six seasons in college football, including five at Georgia and one with the Hurricanes.
At Georgia, the former four-star recruit spent three seasons from 2020 through 2022 behind Stetson Bennett, who led the Bulldogs to two national championships. Beck finally took over as the starter in 2023 and led the Southeastern Conference with 3,941 passing yards while throwing 24 touchdowns.
He returned to Georgia for another season instead of turning pro, hoping to chase a national title. The numbers were still solid - 3,485 passing yards in 2024 - but he also led the SEC with 12 interceptions. Then came the injury that changed everything: a right-arm UCL tear in the championship game against Texas.
That uncertainty pushed Beck to withdraw from the draft and enter the transfer portal.
He ended up back in the Sunshine State, signing an N.I.L. deal with Miami after the Hurricanes lost Cam Ward to the pros. It was a major gamble for head coach Mario Cristobal, given the recovery timeline on Beck’s elbow, but the bet paid off. Beck helped lead Miami to its first National Championship in over 20 years.
Even with a 27-21 loss to Indiana, the season was still viewed as a successful reset for the program and a step up in internal expectations.
Sunday will be Beck’s NFL debut. His only previous pro action came in the preseason Hall of Fame game against the Carolina Panthers, where he went 15 of 19 for 188 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in a 33-30 loss.
Now the challenge gets much bigger. In college, Beck’s final season showed how tough things could get when the pocket broke down: he completed just 28 of 58 passes for 48.3 percent in 89 dropbacks when pressure collapsed around him.
In Other News...
Miami Still Has An ACC Title Game Path But It Just Got Tougher
Miamis path to Charlotte is still alive, but the margin for error is shrinking fast after the loss to Notre Dame. Sitting at No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Hurricanes now have to take care of business against Duke and then watch the rest of the ACC scoreboard closely, because their fate is no longer entirely in their own hands.
The leagues key swing games are scattered across the weekend, with Louisville facing UNC, Clemson taking on Georgia Tech and SMU meeting Wake Forest. For Miami, the stakes are bigger than a conference race, since the ACC Championship game will be the final one before the College Football Playoffs move to a 24-team bracket, making every remaining result feel even more consequential. [Read more 🡒]
Miami's Playoff Path Suddenly Looks More Manageable Than Fans Expected
Miamis playoff picture got a little clearer after a weekend of rankings movement that reshuffled the national conversation. A close loss without a key player sent one team sliding, and with only two ACC teams sitting in the top 25, the conferences path to the playoff suddenly looks less crowded than many fans might have expected. The latest bracket projections also reopened the debate over how the selection committee views different leagues, especially when comparing the ACC to the deeper, more heavily scrutinized conferences.
For Miami, the bigger takeaway is not just where the Hurricanes stand now, but how much future results could swing the entire field around them. The current playoff math leaves room for a few different scenarios, and the matchups that would follow could depend as much on committee perception as on what happens on the field. A couple more wins could make Miamis route look even cleaner, while one bad result could bring the old uncertainty right back. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis CFP Push Just Got Personal Against Duke
Miamis College Football Playoff push takes on a little extra edge this week with Duke coming to town, and the matchup comes loaded with familiar faces on both sidelines and in the lineup. Darian Mensah, who transferred from Duke to Miami after a legal dispute with his former school, is part of the storyline, while receiver Cooper Barkate is poised for a bigger role after another Miami pass catcher was injured.
There is also the matter of Manny Diaz returning to face the program he once led, this time as Dukes coach, which adds another layer to a game already carrying real stakes for the Hurricanes. With Miamis playoff hopes still in play, this is the kind of November meeting that can feel bigger than the standings, especially when the opponent arrives with so many personal connections. [Read more 🡒]