Carson Beck has come a long way since playing backup to Stetson Bennett during back-to-back national championship seasons.
Despite the opportunity to play elsewhere in the transfer portal-era, Beck stayed in Athens and it has paid off. After an outstanding first year as a starter in 2023, leading the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record and a narrow miss at the College Football Playoff, Beck finds himself as one of the most talked about players in the sport ahead of his senior season.
While signal-callers like Quinn Ewers (Texas), Jaxon Dart (Ole Miss) and Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) are uber-talented in their own right, Beck leads arguably the best overall program in college football.
It’s not far fetched to say that the quarterback leading the football team which has won 29 of its last 30 games is important. For CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate, Beck should be considered the most important player in the SEC and possibly the nation ahead of the 2024 season.
“I think Carson Beck is the most important football player in the conference this year, because if I knew nothing more about the SEC this year then Carson Beck’s going to play at an A-minus or B level, I wouldn’t need to know anything else.” Pate said on a recent episode of the Late Kick podcast. “That’s the best team in the conference. They’re going to win it and may go on to win it all if Carson Beck does nothing more.”
Questions about Beck’s ability to step up in Bennett’s place were quickly answered with two second-half comebacks against Auburn and South Carolina early last season. That seemed to be the turning point in his confidence. Beck went on to lead the conference with 3,941 yards passing and 24 touchdowns to six interceptions and the Bulldogs finished fifth in the nation in points and yards.
“If I know nothing more than that dude is just going to play to his full potential, he’s going to justify everyone who’s mocked him in the first round of the NFL draft next year,” Pate continued. “Georgia’s good enough everywhere else. Georgia has got quarterback, head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator. They got continuity across the board. It’s one of, if not the best, cultures in college football.”
The Bulldogs return 16 players from the 2023 season, including Beck’s favorite target — outside of Brock Bowers — in Dominic Lovett at wide receiver. They also added seven transfers this offseason, including projected starting running back Trevor Etienne (Florida).
“They got a really good, and probably underrated, crop of receivers and that includes the tight end position. And that includes that dude out of the back field they got out of Florida.”
Beck’s prowess shouldn’t only strike fear into the hearts of opposing SEC teams. With the playoff expanding to 12 teams, Beck and the Bulldogs will likely be on a national stage in the postseason. Winning the SEC and securing a bye week is the first step in that direction.
“I think Carson Beck is an extremely important player, the most important in the SEC. You may be able to say he’s the most important player in the country, because a lot of the hopes that any other team has of getting through the SEC to Atlanta and winning has to do with maybe there being, oh, a wobbly tire or something along those lines, in Athens. If there isn’t, it’s going to be a tough out.”