Carson Beck isn’t hitting the books this week-but he’s still got the biggest test of his football life coming up.
The Miami Hurricanes quarterback, who’s set to lead his team into the national championship game against Indiana on Monday night, revealed he hasn’t taken any classes in the lead-up to the title showdown. The reason?
He doesn’t have to. Beck graduated two years ago, and under today’s NCAA rules, he's still eligible to play.
“No class. I graduated two years ago,” Beck told reporters when asked if he’d attended any classes the day before the game.
It’s a moment that perfectly encapsulates where college football is in 2026: a sport still rooted in tradition, but now fully immersed in a new era of eligibility rules, NIL deals, and player mobility. And Beck is a prime example of how the system has evolved.
His situation-playing in a national title game years after graduating-would’ve been nearly unheard of in past decades. But thanks to a combination of COVID-era eligibility extensions, redshirting, and the increased freedom for players to transfer without penalty, the door has been opened for athletes like Beck to extend their college careers well beyond the typical four-year window.
It’s not just about eligibility, though. The rise of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals has also shifted the landscape. Players can now earn significant money while still in school, making the decision to stay longer-whether or not they’re enrolled in classes-a lot more appealing.
That shift hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans. Some have voiced concern that the “college” part of college football is starting to fade into the background. One fan commented, “College football forgot about the college part,” while another called it “pro football played on or near college campuses.”
There’s a nostalgic tug here-people remembering the days when student-athletes were, first and foremost, students. But the game has changed. And while some fans might long for the old model, the current system reflects the realities of modern college athletics: a high-stakes, billion-dollar industry where top players like Beck are essentially professionals in everything but name.
That doesn’t mean Beck’s story isn’t impressive. He’s managed to navigate the complexities of modern college football, stay focused, and lead his team to the doorstep of a national title. Whether or not he’s sitting in a lecture hall this semester doesn’t change what’s at stake on Monday night-or what he’s accomplished to get there.
In the end, Beck’s journey is a snapshot of where the sport is right now: straddling the line between tradition and transformation. And as he prepares to take the field in the biggest game of his life, he’s doing so as a symbol of a new era in college football-one where the path to the championship looks a little different than it used to.