Carson Beck broke a lot of Miami fans’ trust with his career-low performance against Texas A&M. But a Hurricanes legend believes otherwise. As they prepare for the Cotton Bowl, Carson Beck earned the lifelong respect of a Miami icon Michael Irvin in a personal gesture made right after their last game.

“Last week, in the Texas A&M game, we were being a little conservative. I thought because of the whirling wind, and I didn’t want to put anything in harm’s way,” Michael Irvin told Dave Portnoy on the December 29th episode of Wake Up Barstool. “But Carson Beck came to me and said, ‘Michael, I got it. I guarantee you we’re going to score with this drive.’ I said, ‘That’s what I want to hear. Let’s go get it done.’ And he did that. I got all the faith in the world in Carson Beck and in the people he’s throwing the football to. So I have no issue with what’s going on. People can say what they want.”

The moment Irvin was mentioning was the last-minute drive that completely changed Miami’s fate. Carson Beck threw to Malachi Toney, who made a costly mistake earlier in the game, for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:44 on the clock. It helped Miami break the 3-3 tie to defeat the Aggies by 10-3.

Irvin also shared the moment when he became a fan of Carson Beck, going back to the time when he was signed to the program earlier this year.

“Let me go back. When Carson Beck first signed with Miami, I was at a basketball game, and I got a phone call from him, from his people. That made me a Carson Beck fan. He called and said, ‘Hey, we just signed with Miami. Want you to know I’m gonna go down here and uphold the traditions that you guys are starting.’ How can you not like a guy who already honors the history before? So I started liking him then.”

The trust and respect Irvin and Beck have for each other can be spotted on the sidelines of almost every single game that Miami played this season. While Beck earns respect from one legend, he receives a career ultimatum from the other, on the flip side.

Cotton Bowl is more than a CFP game for Carson Beck

Carson Beck skipped the 2025 NFL Draft to transfer to Miami to build his NFL profile. However, Beck was on and off throughout the season. He gave a dominant comeback in the last four games of the regular season, but the CFP first-round game against Texas A&M raised questions about his purpose of transfer. Beck reached his career-low passing yards (103) against the Aggies and only played a supportive role.

Beck cannot do the same against Ohio State, as Urban Meyer states that Beck’s NFL career will be judged based on the Texas A&M game and the Ohio State game in the Playoff.

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“You’ve got to mark my words, this will impact where he’s selected in the NFL draft this game and last game,” said Urban Meyer. “Carson Beck is as talented as there is. I commented that it was going to be the most important game of his career. I’m going to follow up with the most important game of his career. Draft status is being determined here right now against NFL-quality defenses.” 

Beck recorded 3,175 passing yards this season for 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He failed to perform against a stronger defense throughout the season. With the Ohio State game on the horizon, which has the best defense in college football, it would be a tough task for Carson Beck, but it isn’t impossible.