ATHENS — Carson Beck is not your traditional leader in football. He doesn’t use a lot of words, and he’s not necessarily looking to inspire with intense speeches or detailed directives.
The Georgia quarterback just plays, and that’s good enough for his coaches and teammates.
“Carson is not an extremely assertive young man,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Tuesday. “He doesn’t try to assert himself. … He doesn’t just jump in there (naturally) and do it. He’s done that more in the last couple of days since being back from spring break. And I expect to see that even more (this spring) in terms of leadership in the huddle and the things he does.”
Meeting with the media Tuesday for the first time since deciding to return for his senior season, Beck acknowledged that being a more vocal and demonstrative leader is something he is intentionally working on. But he also indicated it’s not something about which he’s overly concerned.
“I’m super comfortable leading and talking and kind of guiding guys in the right direction because I’ve done it,” Beck said Tuesday, a couple of hours before the Bulldogs’ first of 15 spring practices. “I think people respect me now that I have done it. I think that was kind of the thing that held me back from being a little more vocal last year or being a bigger leader last year. I hadn’t really done it yet, so now that I have a year under my belt and guys look at me and respect me, it’s a lot easier to maybe tell someone to do something and try to guide them the right way.”
This time last year, it was assumed that Beck would be the heir apparent to Stetson Bennett as Georgia’s QB1. But nothing was guaranteed, as he had a very real competition with sophomore Brock Vandagriff to win.
Beck obviously was able to do that, and nothing he did over the course of 14 games gave offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo or other Georgia coaches pause about that decision. He led the SEC in passing and was third nationally with 3,941 yards and fourth with a .724 completion percentage. He also was a finalist for the Manning Award, was named second-team All-SEC and twice earned offensive player-of-the-week honors for the conference.
Leading the Bulldogs to a comeback win on the road against Auburn — he threw the game-winning pass came to tight end Brock Bowers on a 90-yard drive late in the fourth quarter — Beck earned the trust of the team.
Beck drew some criticism for a critical fumbled snap exchange and an inability to get the offense moving in Georgia’s SEC Championship game loss to Alabama. Otherwise, his 243-yard, 21-of-29 passing performance was solid on the biggest stage of 2023.
Ultimately, that loss kept the Bulldogs out of the College Football Playoff. It also served as Beck’s primary motivation for coming back another year.
“Obviously we had a really good year, (but) our goal is always to win it all, as it should be,” Beck said. “We didn’t achieve that goal, so coming back with that same mindset because we didn’t reach that goal, that led to it. And the connection piece that we have here at Georgia. The relationship that I have with the coaches, with the players, it all came to me making the decision to come back and wanting to do that for another year.”
Guard Tate Ratledge has roomed with Beck for most of the four years the two players have been at UGA. Ratledge thinks his roommate is somewhat misunderstood.
“His work ethic and being able to stick it through when things haven’t been going the best for him, you have to respect that. Obviously, things didn’t go to his plan until last year. But seeing him keep his head down and keep grinding has been a great way for him to earn respect.”
Smart believes respect is something of which Beck has a large supply.
“His decision to come back was built around doing something different, doing something special,” Smart said. “I think he has to build a rapport with some of these new wideouts we’ve got in that (group). They’re going to be important for him to grow with. But I’m very comfortable with where he is as a leader, and the way he leads is the way he’s comfortable leading. Which is primarily through his actions.”
Beck’s answers to questions about the high-profile NIL arrangement that landed him a $270,000 Lamborghini dominated headlines from Tuesday’s media pre-spring media session. But he had a lot more to say during the 12.5-minute question-and-answer session. Following are some of the highlights:
On having 33 new players participating in spring practice …
“Everybody has to go through it. It’s going to be a whirlwind. A lot of them have a long way to go, but that’s a good thing. They’re going to constantly improve as the years go by. Spring is a super fun time because we get the chance to focus on ourselves and focus on the team as opposed to preparing for an opponent. All the young guys can go out there, have fun and enjoy it. It’s a process we all have to go through.”
On how much he’s been able to work with the new receivers, which include transfers Michael Jackson III, Landon Humphreys, Colbie Young and freshman signees Nitro Tuggle and Sacovie White …
“We’ve been able to work a little bit during the offseason, January and February. Obviously not any full practices, but I’m super excited to see these young guys and transfers and see what they’re able to do. We’re constantly working to start building that chemistry.”
On his relationship with quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo …
“I think we’ve always had a really good relationship. I think now going into year two, we better comprehend each other. The way I work, what makes me tick, what makes him tick, the way he works, the things he likes, the things I like. As we start to figure those things out, which we kind of have now, last year was us figuring it out, this year we now and will be able to mesh better. I think it will obviously lead to a better outcome as well.”
His thoughts about Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne …
“It always helps to have a good running back where you feel comfortable turning your back to the defense and handing it off. Obviously we saw what he was able to do at Florida. We’re really happy to have him.”
On coach-to-helmet audio communication ...
“I’m actually very interested to see how that is gonna change. For us, we’re really a no-huddle offense, we don’t huddle very much. So how does that change in the communication to the wide receivers, the offensive line, are we still going to signal other stuff? Hopefully it’s just me and Bobo because I don’t need to hear everybody else yelling and chirping in my ear while I’m trying to listen to the play. But I’m actually interested to see how that will work and how that will change offenses in college.”
On how this spring feels compared with last spring ...
“Last year, I was coming in and wasn’t sure if I was going to be the starter or not. I was competing with Brock (Vandagriff) and Gunner (Stockton) at the time. Now, coming back having been the starter, I can kind of hone in and focus more on what I need to improve on. Compared to trying to compete against other guys, I can really focus on competing against myself.”
On where he looks to improve …
“I think the biggest thing for me is just continuously building my confidence level. And then, working through reads faster, knowing when I can take the big shot and when I need to check it down and play it safe. That’s the biggest thing for me in going back and watching film from this past year and watching all the games over, those are a few areas I can really improve on.”
On his definition of a successful spring …
“I think just building that bond with the new guys that just came in and continuing the chemistry with guys that have already been here. That works for both offense and defense. We’re kind of building that mesh with how well we all play together. We haven’t practiced in two months, so it’ll be fun to get back out there.”
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