Top Landing Spots For Carson Beck

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck withdrew from the NFL Draft and entered the transfer portal. Justin Carter looks at five potential landing spots for him in 2025 college football.

On Thursday, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck undeclared for the NFL Draft and entered the transfer portal. Beck suffered an elbow injury in the SEC Championship Game and missed the College Football Playoff. Now, he'll get another shot at a championship somewhere.

Beck also has a chance to improve his NFL Draft stock now. Due to the injuries and a season at Georgia where he was good but not particularly great, Beck looked like he wouldn't be selected in the first round of this year's draft.

Below are the top potential destinations for Carson Beck, starting with what appears to be the likeliest landing spot for the former Bulldogs passer.

Miami

Last year, Washington State quarterback Cam Ward declared for the NFL Draft. Not long after, Ward undeclared because Miami had offered him a huge deal to join the Hurricanes. Ward took the NIL deal and parlayed one season in Miami into a Heisman finalist spot and likely into being a top-5 pick in the NFL Draft.

This year, Carson Beck declared for the NFL Draft. Not long after, Beck undeclared because ... well, we don't quite know yet, but it wouldn't be shocking at all to see Beck in the same situation as Ward last year, accepting a major deal to head down to Coral Gables and trying to bring the U a national title.

That's especially true considering how quickly reports came out that Miami was the favorite to land Beck.

While Miami looms as the favorite for Beck, a source said that Beck’s camp intends to listen to all potential suitors for the best situation: “It’s a strategic thing, not an emotional thing," the source said.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 9, 2025

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Miami is the top contender to add Beck, but noted that it isn't a done deal. Beck, Thamel says, will listen to other suiters and noted that a source called his choice "a strategic thing, not an emotional thing."

The use of the word "emotional" there is noteworthy because it speaks to another reason Miami is viewed as the favorite to land Beck, which is that Beck's girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder, plays basketball for Miami.

However, this is Cavinder's fifth season, so she won't have eligibility next season anyway. That's not to say she isn't a factor, but her presence in Miami is unlikely to be the single deciding factor since she won't be a Hurricane for the 2025-26 season.

Still, everything points to Miami, which should be viewed as the clear favorite to land Beck for next season.

As far as what his potential on-field fit would be with Miami, the Hurricanes are going to lose a lot of receiver talent this offseason and will likely depend more on the run game in 2025. Beck would certainly not be asked to do as much as Ward was as the Miami quarterback.

Georgia

But as Thamel said, Beck is open to listening to other offers, and one of those offers will likely come from the school he's currently at, Georgia.

Returning to Georgia would give Beck another shot to do what injury robbed him of doing in 2024: leading the Bulldogs to a deep playoff run.

Beck completed 64.7% of his pass attempts for Georgia this year, a far cry from his 72.4% completion rate in 2023. He threw for 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns but was picked off 12 times.

With Beck sidelined for the playoff opener, Georgia couldn't get anything going, losing 23-10 to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Gunner Stockton didn't look ready to take over this program, going 20-of-32 for 234 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked four times.

If Georgia wants to compete for a national title in 2025, the team likely needs to figure out a solution at quarterback that isn't Stockton. Could that mean enticing Beck to stay?

Oregon

Oregon went undefeated in the regular season but was defeated by Ohio State in the team's first playoff game. It's a disappointing end to a strong season for the Ducks.

With quarterback Dillon Gabriel out of eligibility, the Ducks will need to find a strong replacement. The team's last two quarterbacks have been veterans brought in from the portal, so why not make it three in a row by pursuing Beck?

And if money is a deciding factor, there aren't many programs with more NIL money to throw around than Oregon, which has the backing of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who is determined to see a title brought to Eugene. Miami has a lot of money, but Oregon could win a bidding war for Beck.

The Ducks system turned Bo Nix into a first-round pick, so this might also be a strong landing spot for Beck if he's looking to improve his NFL Draft stock.

Of course, Oregon might be a bit of wishful thinking, as it hasn't been mentioned by insiders yet, but there are two programs that On3's Pete Nakos mentioned as options beyond Miami.

Ohio State

Like Oregon, Ohio State is a title contender in 2025 if it can replace its starting quarterback. With the Buckeyes, Beck would have an elite wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, to throw the ball to, giving him a chance to post some big numbers.

Ohio State, Texas Tech, and Miami are 3 teams to watch for Carson Beck once he enters the Transfer Portal, per @PeteNakos_👀https://t.co/AG3PYa31UT https://t.co/72rf6mXs4d pic.twitter.com/Qs98SpPM7B

— On3 (@On3sports) January 9, 2025

Ohio State is one of two teams that Nakos mentioned as an option outside of Miami. Will the Buckeyes have the money to compete with Miami? It's unclear, but if winning a title is the goal, Ohio State might be the best possible spot for Beck to land.

Texas Tech

Honestly, this one feels very much out of left field, but Nakos mentioned Texas Tech as an option, so it's worth bringing up the Red Raiders.

Ohio State, Texas Tech, and Miami are 3 teams to watch for Carson Beck once he enters the Transfer Portal, per @PeteNakos_👀https://t.co/AG3PYa31UT https://t.co/72rf6mXs4d pic.twitter.com/Qs98SpPM7B

— On3 (@On3sports) January 9, 2025

It sounds like Tech is trying hard to find a starting quarterback in the portal, so if Beck is willing to listen to any pitch, he'll likely get one from Lubbock. It's just hard to see a reason he'd choose the school when it wouldn't offer the most money or the best chance to win.

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