The Georgia Bulldogs won their SEC championship game last year and went to the playoffs. But for Carson Beck, the game wasn’t a cause for celebration. Beck suffered a significant tear in his throwing arm’s ulnar collateral ligament, and instead, Gunner Stockton played the second half. The injury might not have been a cause for concern, except that it was expected that it would require surgical attention. These developments have still traveled to Miami, now that Beck is in Mario Cristobal’s camp. However, now, there is an update on his injury.

On December 23rd, 2024, Beck underwent a successful surgery as the renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache repaired the UCL and gave an optimistic update. So, Beck, on the back of that update, decided not to enter the NFL draft and instead give another year in college football to improve his stock. And it was needed after Beck’s somewhat disappointing 2024 season.

For a typical quarterback, racking up 3,485 yards like Beck did in 2024 would be a big deal. But Beck isn’t your average QB. After his standout 2023 season, a lot of people were talking about him as a Heisman contender. That year, he threw for 3,941 yards with an impressive 72.4% completion rate and added 116 rushing yards. So, when you compare his 2024 numbers to 2023, they seem pretty weak. When he moved to Miami, folks were worried not just about how he’d recover but also about his dip in performance. Luckily, some of those worries are starting to fade now.

David Lake, the 247 Sports reporter, and Chip Patterson of CBS Sports’ Cover3Podcast appeared on the June 20th episode of ‘CBS Sports.’ The duo talked about the progress that Beck is showing now and gave some optimistic news. “He resumed throwing in May, so it’s just kind of progression from that point, and all indications are that the recovery is going smoothly,” said David Lake. The 247 Sports’ Canes insider, however, relayed some caution despite the news.

“No setbacks up until this point, but certainly this is going to be something to monitor here all the way up until fall camp, which is of course, beginning in August, so as long as Carson Beck’s a full go on August 1st, I think Miami fans should feel good,” said David Lake. Undoubtedly, the news is optimistic, and even when Beck wasn’t throwing in spring practices, he had shown immense willingness to make the most of his time.

For instance, in February, Mario Cristobal stressed that Carson Beck was “very close” to throwing and has been involved in non-throwing activities. This included walkthroughs, drills, and watching game tapes to be ahead of schedule. Finally, Beck was cleared to throw just before the spring practices were about to end. Cristobal, in a statement at the time, emphasized that everything was going ahead of schedule for Beck, and he was “excited about his progress.” However, despite these optimistic updates, the doubts about Carson Beck’s 2025 season don’t seem to end. And this time? It came from Rece Davis.

Rece Davis’s big decision regarding Carson Beck’s 2025 fate

Performing in the ACC might be easier than the SEC, but for Carson Beck, that benefit of the doubt hasn’t changed the claims about his success. There are concerns about his absence from practices in the spring games, and then the horrors of the 2024 season aren’t leaving him. So, when Rece Davis and Pete Thamel made their list of top 5 QBs in college football, Carson Beck wasn’t there. This started a fierce discussion about whether Beck deserved a spot.

Rece Davis, however, didn’t budge and reiterated his decision without hesitation. “If Carson Beck proves himself to be the best quarterback in college football this year, I’ll just — I’ll applaud. I’ll say, ‘Good for you. Happy for you. Good to see good things happen to people.’ But I will have no regret over leaving him off this list at this point in the season.” But why the harsh decision?

The decision, according to both Thamel and Davis, was because Beck was not in synergy with the offense due to missing the spring practices. “It’s really hard to come to a place where you’re handed the starting job, basically. And if you don’t practice right, you don’t have rhythm, timing, the offense, etc,” said Thamel. Beck has a lot to prove in his 2025 season, and Mario Cristobal might have the required offensive weapons to make him succeed.

Miami has brought in CJ Daniels from LSU in the wide receiver room, who is coming after receiving 1,547 yards over the last two seasons. Apart from him, Keelan Marion also came from BYU in the receiver room after he received 346 yards last year, along with Tony Johnson from Cincinnati, who received 449 yards. So, the offense will undoubtedly be pass-heavy and built as per Beck’s strengths. What Beck needs to do is replicate the performances he showed in the 2023 season and silence all the critics.