The Miami Hurricanes will begin the post-Cam Ward era next weekend against Notre Dame and have Carson Beck taking over under center. After initially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, Beck decided to instead commit to Miami in January for his final season of eligibility.
Beck has spent his entire college career with the Georgia Bulldogs. Last season, he completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 3,485 yards, throwing 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Moreover, Miami are looking to replicate the formula they did with Ward.
Matt Hayes, an NFL and college football journalist, praised Mario Cristobal for finding a replacement with a mentality similar to Ward’s. Also, this move allows for Miami to remain in the College Football Playoff picture with them coming in at No. 10 in the AP top 25 preseason ranking.
“I love the fact that now, for two straight years, Mario got himself a quarterback that’s got a chip on his shoulder, has something to prove,” Hayes said during an appearance on 104.3 WQAM’s “The Joe Rose Show.”
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“Carson Beck did not like the way it ended in Georgia. He did not like the fact that he was the fall guy for a team that couldn’t catch the ball—33 drops last year. An offensive line that underachieved last year couldn’t protect him.
“And he’s the same guy. I don’t care who you are at quarterback. I don’t care if you’re Tom Brady. If they can’t protect you and your receivers are dropping the ball, what do you think is going to happen?
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Furthermore, Hayes sees the situation between Beck and Ward as comparable, noting that these two quarterbacks joined the Hurricanes with something to prove.
“So you’ve got an uber talented quarterback right now who’s got a big chip on his shoulder, a lot like Cam Ward but for different reasons, obviously. I think Mario struck it. It’s a big move for the program. The question is, can they be a team on defense that gets stops when they need them?”
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