Mario Cristobal reveals why Miami broke the bank to sign $4.3M NIL-valued Carson Beck as Cam Ward’s replacement
Carson Beck transferred to Miami in January after playing four seasons at Georgia. The quarterback signed a $4.3 million NIL deal to join the Hurricanes and will replace Cam Ward, who is entering this year's NFL draft.
In an interview with On3 on Monday, Miami coach Mario Cristobal spilled the beans on why the Hurricanes splashed the cash to sign Beck.
"Well, if you watch him in '23, he is far and above the best quarterback in the country statistically," Cristobal said (5:02 onwards). "And you look at statistics for a guy that probably was pulled out of four or five games early due to the games being out of hand.
"And last year, you know, things were a little bit different for them (UGA) offensively, with a few more drops than usual, a few more issues in protection than normal and just a different deal. You know, a different year, and still having really good numbers and still finding a way to be part of a conference champion team.
Cristobal continued:
"What he does really good fits what we do really well. And I think he's a guy that has just scratched the surface. We felt that there's a lot of untapped potential in him. And we feel that the combination of his skill set, with this supporting cast and with this system, man, it's exciting for us because we feel really strongly about what he can do systematically with our football team."
Beck committed to Georgia in 2020, but redshirted his freshman year. He was part of the Bulldogs team that won two national championships in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but was used as a backup quarterback.
Carson Beck got the QB1 role for Georgia in 2023 and led the offense for two seasons. In the 2024 season, Beck recorded 3,485 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed for one TD and led the Bulldogs to an 11-2 record.
Carson Beck will be under pressure to deliver at Miami for the 2025 season
Carson Beck will be under some pressure to deliver for Miami in the 2025 season, mainly because the team spent a lot of money to land him in the transfer portal. Also, he will be replacing Cam Ward, who led the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record last season.
Ward is projected as the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft. In his lone season with the Hurricanes in 2024, he threw for 4,313 passing yards and 39 touchdowns while also rushing for four TDs.
Ward also finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, and it's quite clear that Beck has big shoes to fill at Miami.