Within a few weeks, we’ll see how Mario Cristobal’s $4 million gamble on Carson Beck plays out. Both are confident that Miami was the right call for the QB. He has to rewrite his own history at Coral Gables, and that ride will be far from a cakewalk. The QB is preparing himself for everything that could go wrong, because if things at Miami get worse than how they were in Athens, Beck might as well be written off from college football altogether. Turns out, he doesn’t need to worry that much.

“Imagine that, being forgotten in football,” Cristobal said in an August 11 episode of the Gramlich & Mac Lain podcast. And that underscores the stakes of Beck’s fresh start. Carson Beck was once a top-draft-pick favorite for many after his 2023 season. But then 2024 happened, and Beck was no longer a QB who dominated the field. He sputtered through the season with a readily growing display of inaccuracy. But we know how lacklustre his supporting cast was. With no Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers, Beck was an unrecognizable player on the field. As a result, Georgia led the FBS in drops, finishing at an alarming 36.

Carson Beck could not afford to have a receiver corps as poor as that of Georgia’s 2024 unit. But in Miami, he’s happy with what he’s got, Cristobal said. “I think what he has found here is a system that really fits him. He is really, really smart. And this, the position anywhere, certainly in this offense, requires it to have a guy that can really run it like a coordinator can while he’s on the field. He loves the O-line. He loves his weapons, his guys,” Cristobal said. “He’s really pleasantly just surprised at how good of a supporting cast he’s going to have, and how much energy is in the building on a daily basis,” he added.

Carson Beck is getting an O-line that can be the best in the country. The trenches are loaded with veterans like Francis Mauigoa, Markel Bell, and transfer James Brockermeyer. This unit averaged 537.2 yards last season and 43.9 points per game. It’s a unit that helped Cam Ward and now stands to do the same for Carson Beck. The receiver corps is not as stellar, but Shannon Dawson’s air-raid system doesn’t require NFL-worthy talent. Miami has enough power in its WR room to help Beck prevent a repeat of the 2024 nightmare. He has CJ Daniels, Keelan Marion, and Tony Johnson to thrive.

Beck needs good pass catchers – something he lacked glaringly in Georgia last year. At Miami, they can either prove to be his downfall or maybe be the key to reclaiming his lost glory. But Cristobal is confident that Beck is in good hands with this unit.

Mario Cristobal’s positive WR room update should put Carson Beck at ease

The biggest question mark for Miami this season is the WR room, hands down. Cristobal lost 6 top receivers to the NFL this year, meaning he has to make do with fresh faces. He has a QB who is eager to redeem himself this season. And that’s why this is an equation that has to work for Mario Cristobal. “I could say that what we’ve seen here from our guys, confidence is extremely high. [We] can have the same type of production that we’ve had in that last year and other years,” Cristobal said. It’s a bold claim from a coach who will roll out a largely new Miami squad this season. If Miami has to break its playoff curse, this is a unit that has to shine.

Joining the seniors is freshman Malachi Toney, who can start if he manages to impress the squad throughout camp. With 58 receptions in more than 1000 yards tallied last season, Toney can be an explosive receiver on the field. There’s also Joshua Moore, who comes with prep career totals of 140 receptions in 2,638 yards and 28 TDs. They’ll be joining the trio of Daniels, Marion, and Johnson, who will all get to play a bigger role in the 2025 Miami offense.

“We are really in a groove now. We understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to do it, why we’re doing it that way,” Cristobal said. When the coach is confident that this is a unit that’s going to be a talking point this season, Carson Beck’s worries should be eased. Whether this revamped Miami squad will help establish Cristobal’s legacy at Coral Gables, is something that only the season will determine.