Livescore
Almost a year ago today, Miami pulled off the shocker of the 2023-24 transfer cycle: It convinced Cam Ward to exit the NFL Draft and come back to college for his redshirt senior season.
It worked out brilliantly. Ward entered that draft process considered a Day 3 draft pick by many NFL scouts. He exited as a Heisman Trophy finalist and in the mix to be QB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
That seems to be the path Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is hoping to traverse, too.
Beck is expected to enter the transfer portal, injecting a shot of adrenaline into a quarterback market that had largely stalled following a flurry of December moves.
Many draft pundits considered Beck a first-round draft pick heading into the 2024 campaign. But an up-and-down senior season — during which he threw a SEC-high 12 interceptions — and a right elbow injury that will keep him out through the early part of 2025 put a damper on his draft stock. So much so that CBS Sports ranks Beck as its No. 55 overall prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft, which would put him in danger of even slipping into Round 3.
By returning to college — and it’s important to note Beck never signed a standard representation agreement with a NFL agent, which allows him to come back to school — Beck can repair his once sky-high draft stock. Though, the 2026 NFL Draft pool looks far more potentially competitive with names like Nico Iamaleava, Arch Manning and Drew Allar looming.
Why Miami is suitable landing spot for Carson Beck
As for where Beck may turn next, the obvious candidate is Miami, so much so it’s fair to term the Hurricanes as an early favorite in this process; Beck is yet to officially appear in the NCAA’s portal database and schools are barred from directly communicating with him until he does so.
Miami has aggressively pursued quarterbacks behind the scenes since its bowl game, multiple sources tell CBS Sports, when potential 2025 starter Emory Williams struggled in a 5-for-14, 26-yard, one-interception performance after relieving Ward at halftime of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
The Hurricanes swung and missed on a few targets, but Beck would represent almost a best possible case scenario for them if they were to close the deal. Beck brings a similar level of upside to Ward, and he’s already a producer on the biggest stages.
Given Miami’s aggressiveness with name, image and likeness deals (aka collective money), it’s fairly easy to connect the dots between the two sides, especially when you consider Beck will likely require a ground-breaking NIL deal in the portal, perhaps upward of the $4 million Darrian Mensah commanded from Duke.
For a little context, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is the last quarterback to be drafted between pick 40 and 70 dating back to the 2023 NFL Draft. His initial contract was for four years, $5.7 million. Beck might approach that dollar figure in 2025 alone by returning to college.
Obviously, Beck will have other suitors in the portal beyond Miami.
Perhaps Ohio State chooses to get in the mix and add a veteran presence. Maybe North Carolina makes a run after missing on John Mateer early in the cycle.
But, at least for now, Miami is the expected early frontrunner to land Beck.
It’s a bit of déjà vu in the ever churning entity that is the transfer portal. Even those who publicly declare for the NFL Draft aren’t safe from being sucked into the portal and spit out again in a different college uniform.
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