Carson Beck is aiming for a renaissance with his new team. The Georgia transfer put on a show at Hard Rock Stadium, completing 23 of 28 passes for 340 yards and 3 touchdown passes. This stellar performance showcased why he is the current frontrunner for the Heisman trophy. But analysts are not ready to give him that NFL Round 1 draft prospect status just yet.

On ESPN, Jordan Reid started off by recalling Beck’s final year at Georgia, calling it “inconsistent”. Reid did give his flowers to Beck for how his year has looked so far. “Beck (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) looks comfortable in the team’s adjusted offense (Miami ran more up-tempo, Air Raid-style last season) and has routinely stayed on-schedule and in rhythm — sneaky good traits in his skill set,” wrote Reid.

But ultimately, the report concluded without handing him Round 1 prospect status. “He entered the season with primarily Day 3 grades from scouts, and they are taking notice of his early-season play. He is certainly trending up. But evaluators aren’t ready to put Beck back into that first-round conversation just yet. Most still consider him for the middle rounds.” Can a Heisman winner ever fall out of Round 1?

The last time a Heisman winner wasn’t selected in the first round was in 2007, when Ohio State’s Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman winner, fell to the fifth round. Winning the Heisman doesn’t guarantee the NFL will see a player as a first-round talent. If Beck wants to prove his doubters wrong, then he would have to keep up this highly productive gameplay throughout the season.

The Heisman race is heating up

After the win against Notre Dame, we saw flashes of the 2023 version of Carson Beck, and naturally, his stock rose. The names at the top of the Heisman board aren’t all surprises. Carson Beck leads the pack at +825, narrowly ahead of John Mateer at +850, setting up what looks like an early-season duel for pole position. Sitting just off the pace, Dante Moore comes in at +1100, while Garrett Nussmeier follows at +1200, both seen as quarterbacks with the firepower to climb quickly if their teams keep winning.

Right behind them is Gunner Stockton at +1300, before a crowded middle tier stacks up at +1600: Behren Morton, Ty Simpson, Devon Dampier, and Tommy Castellanos all sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, waiting for a breakout game to separate from the pack. Then comes the sleeper tier. At +1800, Julian Sayin, Marcel Reed, and Joey Aguilar round out the board.

Miami now sits at the top of the ACC thanks to Carson Beck’s performance. The statement victory against South Florida ended Miami’s Week 3 on a very positive note. Miami is 3-0 this season and will be looking to push past its opponents with ease. As part of their next three fixtures, they face the Gators at their home, Florida State away, and Louisville at home.