LOS ANGELES — This might just be the year of Carson Beck.
After an offseason of buildup – based on what he achieved a season ago – the Georgia quarterback could soon experience a run for the ages. After leading the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record in his debut season as a starter, he enters this campaign with expectations unlike any other.
In fact, no Georgia quarterback since Matthew Stafford has opened a season with such lofty prospects.
“He’s a guy who put his head down every day and worked,” Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey, who caught passes from Beck at Georgia, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “To see him really get his opportunity now, it’s special. I know he’s going to make the most of it like he did last year.”
With the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs ready to open the season Saturday in the Aflac Kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against No. 14 Clemson (noon, ABC), Beck has a world of opportunity in front of him. He’s expected to be the best quarterback in the country. He’s expected to be a highly touted NFL prospect. These days, he’s showered in NIL deals. Even his dating life has generated interest with his romantic connection to collegiate basketball player and social-media influencer Hanna Cavinder. Perhaps that – public interest in his private life – is the biggest indication of his budding stardom.
“I focus on Carson the football player (laughs),” said Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, Beck’s predecessor at Georgia. “He’s a dang good football player. I’m happy for him.
“It was really cool (to see Beck emerge). I was growing up at the same time. You could say it took me longer. Carson, he never really talked much, but you could tell that it just started to click. And last year, first year starting is always hard. You could see him grow as a leader and everybody talking about him from the team. It just shows you what kind of person he is day-to-day and how he handles his business. He’s always been talented, but it takes more than that to win at that level.”
Beck is quarterbacking the nation’s top team, one that’s lost two games over three seasons – both to Alabama, which Nick Saban no longer coaches. Georgia expects to win the national championship, which would be its third in four years, or else it’s a disappointing year. Few programs can truly claim “title or bust.” This is one of them.
Beck also is a Heisman Trophy front-runner. Bennett was in New York as a finalist in December 2022, though Caleb Williams won the award running away. Georgia hasn’t had a Heisman winner in over four decades. Both its winners – Frank Sinkwich and Herschel Walker – were running backs, so Beck is vying for the unprecedented in Athens.
“If he goes out and does what he’s supposed to do, I don’t see why (he can’t win the Heisman),” McConkey said. “Y’all saw it last year. Now he has a whole year under his belt. He knows what to expect. He’s played in big games. It’s his to win, I guess.”
Beck even is projected as a top-two quarterback eligible for the next NFL draft, which means he’s a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in April. There’s naturally heavy pressure that comes with such label; from the outside view, Beck doesn’t just need to lead Georgia, but also prove he’s worthy of becoming the face of a professional franchise.
“Carson Beck is a hell of a quarterback,” said Raiders safety Chris Smith II, who was part of Georgia’s title teams. “Even-keel guy, great leader. When he goes out there, he knows the game plan and executes it at a very high level. I think he’s really going to be a great leader for that team this year. He’s a vital part of us winning the national championship, and I think he has all the intangibles to be able to do it. Super impressive.”
Smith’s Raiders are among the teams that should be scouting Beck, considering their quarterback situation – Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell – is subpar at best. Among other teams potentially in the quarterback market next spring: The Giants (with a struggling Daniel Jones), the Steelers (without an answer), the Saints (without an answer), the Seahawks (adding a young quarterback behind Geno Smith), the Cowboys (Dak Prescott is an impending free agent), the Jets (Aaron Rodgers is aging) and likely several others as situations develop around the league.
There’s a runway to an all-time season for Beck. It all begins Saturday right here in Atlanta.
“Animal; animal, man,” former Bulldogs running back Zamir White, now a Raider, said about Beck. “Carson just keeps on growing, and he’s grown up a lot since we left. But the dude looks good. Real good.”
