Through the first four games of the Miami Hurricanes’ 2025 season, Carson Beck looks to have completely revitalized his career. However, despite a decisive 26-7 win over rival Florida Gators at home, Beck had his worst outing as a Hurricane.
On an episode of CBS Sports’ “Cover 3 Podcast,” co-host Bud Elliott pointed out there may have been a reason. He noted that Beck’s surgically repaired arm could be an issue.
“I’m a little bit concerned with the lack of zip from Carson Beck,” Elliott said. “I mean that ball that Cormani [McClain] picks. Sure, we can say Cormani did a nice job baiting him. And he did. I think a good throw still might get that. Or at least it isn’t easily picked. That thing hung forever.”
Elliott added that Miami got conservative with its play calling, especially in the pass game with Beck, mostly throwing short screen passes.
“Maybe they [Miami coaching staff] know something they’re not saying,” Elliott said.
Carson Beck’s Injury Was a Concern For Miami
Needing to replace No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward from last season, Mario Cristobal more or less needed to hit a home run again in the transfer portal at quarterback.
Enter Beck.
The problem was Beck had two major red flags. First, he was coming off an inconsistent season at Georgia. Secondly, he was recovering from an ulnar collateral ligament injury in his throwing arm that required surgery.
Beck suffered the injury in December 2024 in the Bulldogs’ victory over the Texas Longhorns for the SEC championship. While recovering, he was unable to participate in Miami’s spring practices. He began throwing again in mid-July.
Carson Beck Needs To Be Better Against Florida State
Before the game against Florida, Cristobal said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was happy with Beck’s progress through the first part of the season.
“Three games in, we feel awesome about the progress,” Cristobal said. “I mean, when you watched him on film, ’23 was a phenomenal year, and ’24 he did have a good year, but the pieces weren’t quite in place like he had them in ’23.”
Unfortunately, Beck didn’t resemble the reformed quarterback Cristobal raved about since he came to Miami back in January. Against the Gators, he finished 17 of 30 for 160 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, recording a QBR of 51.4.
Luckily, Miami didn’t need him to be the lifesaver that Ward was last season. Instead, the game plan focused on a bullying offensive line and efficient running game led by Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar Brown.
What also affected Beck was the quality of Florida’s defense. The Gators sacked Beck once but added four tackles for loss, four pass deflections and an interception, holding Miami to a season-low of 26 points.