Carson Beck remembers ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ from his Georgia days

But the life lessons Beck learned might ultimately prove most valuable.

“There’s been so much that has happened, from the good, the bad and the ugly,” Beck told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. “I’ve learned the biggest thing is learning how to serve others, making sure that’s the top priority.

“At times, I maybe didn’t perform my best or exceed or meet my expectations; I was so concerned with me, me, me, and I can admit to that. You lose sight of what the game is about, playing for your teammates and brothers, and that’s how I was able to pull myself out of it.”

Beck’s career took on a life of its own as the quarterback of Georgia’s high-profile, championship program last season after he agreed to a deal that people with knowledge of the situation said was worth more than $3 million.

“The first three years of my college, we were getting a stipend check,” Beck said, putting college football’s financial changes into perspective. “I’d fill up my tank with gas, and get the food for the week, and that’s all I was doing. We were living in the dorms having a good old time.”

Times had indeed changed, and so the tattoo Beck displayed on his left leg at last year’s SEC Media Days — “Sky’s the limit” — seemed appropriate.

Beck, after all, was the nation’s leading returning passer, a Heisman Trophy favorite, a projected No. 1 overall draft pick and the quarterback of the SEC favorites.

Trappings of power, fame and wealth were in place, and ultimately, some were posted on Beck’s social media accounts over the next year.

No matter Beck’s intentions, conclusions were drawn when pictures of a Lamborghini purchase, an Air Star charter NIL deal and occasional travels to visit social media influencer Hanna Cavinder went public.

The football world was still watching in February, when reports surfaced that Beck and Cavinder had their cars — a Lamborghini, Mercedes and Range Rover — stolen.

Beck said he was more focused on the comeback from the elbow injury (UCL repair) that ended his final season at Georgia and led to him returning to play college football for another season at Miami, where he has an NIL deal in place worth more than $4 million.

“I’m back 100% full-go now,” Beck said. “It was a hard process to go through and get what I love the most taken away from me.

“Not being able to go play against Notre Dame in the first playoff game, that was awful, to sit on the sidelines (with) injuries wishing I could be out there for my teammates.”

Beck exited Georgia believing he was headed for the professional ranks, declaring for the NFL draft.

“Then we started to have some conversations. … If I go pro, these are the questions being asked about the elbow,” Beck said, “and that led to the decision that I needed to come back and play another season, and ultimately that led to me entering the portal and going to Miami.”

Georgia was an option, but people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the Bulldogs didn’t have the same financial package in place as Miami.

Beck explained the Hurricanes were a good football fit with an offensive system in place that produced the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, quarterback Cam Ward.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal said he appreciates Beck’s experiences on and off the field, and he’s counting on him to provide a veteran presence on and off the field.

“One-hundred percent, I think it’s a benefit to Miami,” Cristobal told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “At some point you have to leave your dorm room and be exposed to the real of the real, and if you can’t handle that stuff, you’re never going to be real good.”

Cristobal said he has watched Beck grow close to his new team as the Hurricanes prepare for their opener against Notre Dame.

“Even though Carson came in limited, people knew right away he was extremely intelligent, a hard worker and a diligent guy,” Cristobal said. “It happened organically.

“He’s played a lot of football, and he’s played it at a high level, and that goes a long ways.”

Miami linebacker Wesley Bissainthe said the team took note of Beck in workouts.

“You get a new quarterback, you don’t know much about him, but then over the summer, especially the last few weeks we’ve learned about him,” said Bissainthe, who watched Ward go through the same thing in Coral Gables last season after transferring from Washington State.

“You can’t breathe when you run out of that facility, it’s hot air. … We do our running after our workouts. He makes it through every one.”

There’s more heat waiting for Beck off the field, as well, the Miami linebacker noted.

“You’re the quarterback at Miami, people are going to be looking at you watching your next move,” Bissainthe said. “I can only imagine what it’s like, I know it’s crazy, just everything that comes with it.”

Beck believes his time at Georgia prepared him for whatever challenges are ahead.

“I am thankful for the experience of getting to play for a coach like coach (Kirby) Smart and have him instill all these different life lessons and values, and not just football,” Beck said. “To have played under him was special. I appreciate what he did for me and the teams I was a part of.”

Beck pointed to a key moment in his personal development last season leading into Georgia’s pivotal home game against Tennessee.

“You look at the month of October, probably the worst month of football by a quarterback ever,” said Beck, who threw nine of his 12 interceptions on the season in the four-game stretching leading to the Tennessee showdown.

“Thank God we had a really good defense that was able to hold me up ... but after that month of October, it was like, ‘All right, let’s figure some stuff out, let’s change this, let’s reroute this and change the trajectory of what this season is all about.’”

Beck said he stopped worrying as much about his performance and focused more on the team around him.

“I took the approach I’m going to serve others, this isn’t about me, this is about Georgia, and that worked for me,” Beck said. “I think those last three games, we turned it around ...

“It’s been a journey, there’s been ups, downs, middle grounds, right? But through all of it I’ve been able to grow, and the experience has been one of a kind, and it’s built me into who I am today. From where I’m at now, and looking back into it, it’s been nothing short of crazy.”

Indeed, former Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels has taken note, as Beck’s former teammate and as a current friend.

“There have been guys that have bad Octobers or bad Novembers and it bleeds on, but that was not Carson,” Daniels said. “From Tennessee on, he was killing it, and that’s a testament to him as a person.

“For him to sit those first three years at Georgia and wait for his opportunity, that’s a team-first commitment and mature and something you don’t see too often anymore. It speaks to the guy he is and the teammate he was the whole time.”

Former Georgia coach Mark Richt, who finished his coaching career at Miami in 2018 after a 15-year stint leading the Bulldogs, is pulling for Beck.

“As a destination to play the last year of your career, it’s a good situation for him,” Richt told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s going to have a really good offensive line, and they like the talent around him.

“There’s no reason why Georgia fans can’t cheer for Carson because he’s in another league,” Richt said. “If they meet him in the playoffs, all bets are off. But until then, Georgia fans should enjoy watching him because after five years in the program there, he is a part of them.”