Carson Beck is gearing up to take center stage as a Hurricane this fall. The elite QB is hoping to bow out with a resounding last season, trying to keep Georgia in the past. And Mario Cristobal jumped at the chance of having Beck in his roster, especially because it lacked Cam Ward. The Hurricanes’ rivals know that the stakes are now much higher with Beck in the mix. The QB has already established himself as a player worth watching out for. Opponents are devising plans on how to keep the new Miami QB away from their area of the field. A particular age-old rival is preparing their arsenal to match up with this new team.

Carson Beck struggled visibly throughout last season, both with his game and on the personal front. But that’s not to say he didn’t have his high points. After the first three games, Beck was at 222.7 yards per game, 0 interceptions, and had seven touchdowns. Then came the catastrophic loss against Alabama, where Beck was 2-7, 19 yards, and 1 interception within the first quarter itself. By 9 games, Beck tied with 6 other QBs who led the FBS in INTs with 12. All of that, however, does not take away from the fact that the Miami QB has dimmed in potential. In 2023, he pitched in a career high 3,941 yards, 24 TDs, and just 6 interceptions. There’s more of that coming up in his debut at Coral Gables.

Mario Cristobal’s offense will regain some of its power because of Beck’s addition. Notre Dame’s Chris Ash has taken note of the new Hurricanes offense and is scheduled to meet them first in the 2025 season. “Every year, an offense or a defense can change based off of just what they feel they need to do schematically or the players that they have,” the DC claimed, according to a report on Irish Sports Daily. “In this type of situation, you gotta look at what Carson did at Georgia, what were his strengths, what were his weaknesses, what he did well? How does that fit into what Miami did last year and maybe try to identify some things that maybe could do different with him.” Ash added, taking stock of what Beck brings to the team.

Notre Dame is just as fired up as Miami, or maybe more. The Irish are in full zeal to recreate their run-up to the National Championship, and hopefully win it this time. He revealed his plans for the new QB, “We’ll study Miami from last year. We’ll study Carson’s film from Georgia.” However, Ash also declared that the priority is to get the Fighting Irish’s defense ready, beyond anything else. “At the end of the day, for me, it’s more important about how we show up, how we play, how we execute the fundamentals we use, and how we bring those calls to life on defense.” The last time the two teams faced off, Miami pummelled Notre Dame with a 42-17 win.

This time, both programs will take the field with a new QB. Beck will play Notre Dame on the very ground where it beat Penn State to reach the Nattys. Miami and Notre Dame both have new figures that are bound to influence the odds in this much-anticipated game. But before that, Beck still has to convince Miami fans that he is the guy for the job this season.

Fans are worried about Carson Beck not being the ideal leader

Carson Beck’s rocky season fails to instill confidence in fans. With an interception record that was double that of his previous season, and doubts about his health after the season-ending injury, the QB is still not an overwhelming crowd favorite. In a June 3 episode of 560 WQAM, Dan Day and insider Alex Donno discussed these concerns. “People are kind of worried about Carson Beck, like how much of a leader is he with all the distractions and all that stuff. He is not Cam Ward, he’s not the big, vocal, loud, in-your-face type of guy.” Cristobal was not just getting an elite QB in Carson Beck. He got a full-fledged celebrity–a high-profile football star, a $4 million paycheck, and a very public relationship turmoil, all came with Beck.

Day, however, assured fans that their fears can rest easy. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about, about he had no problems with it at Georgia at the highest of high levels,” he said. Donno then highlighted that not all of Georgia’s faults land on Beck’s shoulders. He sorely missed his former WR and TE on the field: Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers. With them gone, Beck was forced to pick up the slack on the offense. At one point in the season, Carson Beck led the SEC in passing TDs, and finished 4 at the end. That 2023 brilliance is still there in the QB. Beck is also actively working to keep his past horrors at bay. There’s no reason not to believe that he’ll be able to carry over his Georgia magic to Coral Gables.

Mario Cristobal got the best prospect of the transfer portal with a hefty sum. As he gears up to face off against a familiar rival after 8 years, he should know that they’re also coming prepared. Can Carson Beck make a difference in this much-awaited game?