QB Carson Beck Details Improvement in His Game
The moment the clock mercifully struck zero inside SoFi Stadium on January 9, closing out another national championship season for the Georgia football program - this one punctuated by a 65-7 rout of TCU - the Bulldogs entered the post-Stetson Bennett era. The quarterback who had defied all odds and naysayers by helping deliver the Bulldogs back-to-back national championships and earning an invite to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, had exhausted his collegiate eligibility, leaving the Bulldogs searching for answers at the sport’s most important position. This spring, redshirt junior Carson Beck - Bennett’s top backup during the 2022 season - is attempting to make his case as the answer to Georgia’s quarterback question heading into the coming season.
While Beck did lead Mandarin High School to its first ever Florida state championship as a high school junior in 2018, prior to that, Beck’s athletic focus had largely been baseball. With only two high school seasons as a full-time quarterback under his belt, Beck enrolled at Georgia in 2020 with plenty of physical gifts but also with much to improve on. Now that he is entering his fourth season of college football, Beck spoke with the media on Tuesday and addressed how the experience he gained as Bennett’s top backup in 2022 helped him grow and improve as a quarterback.
“Obviously, a big part of that is reps and experience and getting into games. Last year was really big for me. Obviously, Stetson had a great year and went out on top which was awesome, but he did really well in certain games, we got up big, I got to get some experience in a few of those games so I guess the biggest thing I would say is just having the experience and continuing to grow on that with further reps and the more practices that we get.”
QB Carson Beck throws a pass during Georgia's first spring scrimmage.
Beck also detailed how the talent around him in the quarterback room during his time at Georgia has helped him develop at the position.
“I think that every quarterback that has come through this room, I have been able to learn from and that goes even for the guys that are in here. Everyone is so different at the quarterback position and it’s such a unique position because there is no one body frame, one body type, or one way you are supposed to play quarterback. There are so many things and different aspects to being a quarterback so I would say I have taken little bits and pieces from every quarterback that’s walked through this room.”
The ability to handle adversity - a critical component of successful quarterback play - is another area in which Beck believes he has grown during his time in Athens. When asked whether he has improved in how he handles adversity at the quarterback position, Beck adamantly responded in the affirmative.
“Oh, 100%. I was really bad at it. Sometimes I still get pretty upset, but I think I’ve learned how to tone it down in a sense. I’ve kind of figured out, it’s cool, breathe it out, next play. Next play mentality, always.
Beck was clear about what he hopes to show Georgia’s coaches and teammates as he continues to battle fellow quarterbacks Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton for Georgia’s starting quarterback position.
“That I can lead and that I care. That I care about this place, and I care about this program, and I care about my teammates. And just show that I can do it, that I can get it done.
Georgia’s quarterback competition will continue to rage on through the remainder of the spring and likely into fall camp, but Beck hopes that the progress he has made since his arrival in Athens will allow him to emerge as Georgia’s top quarterback heading into the 2023 season.
