ATHENS – Among fans and media, the conversation about Georgia lately has been about what’s wrong with Bulldogs senior quarterback Carson Beck. Those closest to Beck, though, quickly will redirect that discussion to what’s right about him.
That’s especially true for Chris Beck. Carson Beck’s father gets downright emotional on that subject, especially with his son returning to Jacksonville, Florida, this weekend.
That is, of course, home for the Becks. When Chris Beck looks back on the journey from coaching his son for 10 years in Pop Warner ball to where he’ll be Saturday – quarterbacking the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs – it leaves him almost speechless.
“Jacksonville is where it all started for Carson,” said Chris Beck, who coached his son while Carson starred for the Pablo Creek Saints. “He has been a fierce competitor from the beginning. In everything, doesn’t matter what it is, he wants to win. This final trip to play the Georgia-Florida rivalry will be exciting for him and the team.”
Credit: Chip Towers
Credit: Chip Towers
The Bulldogs (6-1 overall, 4-1 in the SEC) will show up at EverBank Stadium as more than a two-touchdown favorite over Florida (4-3, 2-2), which has continued to struggle in its third year under coach Billy Napier. But Georgia also arrives less confident on offense than usual.
Much of that surrounds the play of Beck. While the 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior remains one of the top quarterbacks in the country and with considerable NFL draft hype, his numbers are significantly down from a year ago, when he led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record. Specifically, Beck’s interceptions are up (eight through seven games compared to six in 14 games last year) and his completion percentage is down (to 66.0 from 72.4 in 2023).
The differences in production are even more magnified when comparing the first seven games of last season.
2023: 173-of-235 (73.6%) for 2,147 yards, 12 TDs, 4 INTs.
2024: 165-of-250 (66.0%) for 1,993 yards, 15 TDs, 8 INTs.
Of course, there are plenty of explanations for that. Namely, Beck’s surrounding offensive personnel.
The Bulldogs knew replacing the production of tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Ladd McConkey would be difficult. Both NFL starters, they have proved their worth during their rookie seasons. A first-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders, Bowers leads all first-year tight ends with 535 yards and a touchdown on 52 receptions. McConkey, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers, has 30 catches for 376 yards and four touchdowns, including a 60-yarder this past Sunday in a win over the New Orleans Saints.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have since lost their top two split ends – Rara Thomas and Colbie Young – because of disciplinary measures following domestic-violence related charges. They also were without their starting center, starting right guard and two front line running backs during parts of the first half of the season.
“I don’t think anything’s wrong with him,” coach Kirby Smart said of Beck. “He hasn’t played perfect, but nobody does. I’m very comfortable with where Carson is in terms of his leadership, his practice.”
He should be. With Georgia’s 30-15 over then-No. 1 Texas on Oct. 19, Beck’s record as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback improved to 19-2.
But Beck also threw a career-high three interceptions in that game and did not have a touchdown pass for the first time since Georgia lost to Alabama in the 2023 SEC Championship game.
Beck was not available during any of Georgia’s media availabilities this week. But he did talk to Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette on the occasion of his final Jacksonville homecoming as a collegian.
As for his struggles this season, Beck said, “We’re trying to figure out our identities. We’re going to figure out ways to win, whether it looks pretty or not. Things are getting better. I think we’re going to find ways to win; that’s all that matters.”
For Beck, there probably could be no greater redemption than to play his best game of the season on the way to victory at EverBank Stadium. Jacksonville is the city where his reputation was established as an athlete. A star baseball and football player at Mandarin High, which he led to the state championship as a junior, Beck was offered college scholarships in both sports before settling on the Bulldogs as a consensus four-star quarterback prospect in 2020.
Beck had to wait until 2023 to earn the starting job. But his timing could not have been better. Now he’s the highest-paid athlete on Georgia’s roster, drives a Lamborghini, owns a house in Athens and is dating social media influencer and Miami basketball player Hanna Cavinder.
Life is good. But for Beck, it’s only as good as his team is playing. He returned for his fifth season for the expressed purpose of winning a championship. It’ll take a win over Florida on Saturday to keep that goal alive.
“It hasn’t gone the way we wanted exactly, but we’re 6-1 and in the driver’s seat to go to the SEC championship,” Beck told Frenette. “Everything is right in front of us, and we have plenty of talent to make a run and go win it again. That’s exactly what I believe is going to happen.”
For Chris Beck, the outcome of Saturday’s game is considerably less important. Having been present for every step of his son’s journey, victory or defeat is not going to spoil Saturday’s homecoming.
“I am so proud of him, the man he’s become, the teammate he’s become on and off the field,” Chris Beck said. “He’s a selfless leader, humbled, and loves the process and hard work it takes to be successful. He loves the men in that locker room. Time to have fun and enjoy the moment.”
